The Divided Prince
by IamtheIC
Summary: Four months after the events of the Lost Water Medallion, Cyrus finds himself facing internal conflict for leaving his highland home and departs Zora's Domain and his wife without warning. Ruto miraculously finds him once again, and discovers that something dark festers in the old Castle Town across the desert and that only the combined might of zoras and highlanders can stop it.
1. Chapter 1

A voice was droning on, reverberating through the jewel and coral inlaid hall that was the throne room of Zora's Domain. Cyrus, the highlander prince turned mercenary turned zora prince paid no attention to it. The young native of the Gleight Clan of the Trilby Highlands sat in his newly erected throne; it was inlaid with as much gold, coral, starfish, and other finery as King Ralis's beside him, and his wife's-Princess Ruto's-to the other side. His was different however, in that the throne sported various highlander designs and symbols, including the crest of Clan Gleight painted red protectively encircling a carving of the Zora's Sapphire, three crescents back to back with discs in between each crescent. These symbols were carved upon Cyrus's throne to represent the union of his highland clan and the piscine folk that he now was prince over. _Such union,_ Cyrus thought sourly to himself, _my clan has no knowledge of._

Cyrus still had great love for his clan, but since he had run away when he was around sixteen years old he felt as if he had severed his connection to the highlands. That is, until recently. Being in a position of royalty now tore him inwardly because of the irresponsibility of his part to flee his old home and similar responsibility there. _Now,_ he mused to himself over the petitions of the zora people to their king whom he was seated beside, _for four months I've been a zora. I was born a hylian, I have the ears, the fair skin, and the build but now I have been adopted into a zoran family by marriage._

The prince looked to his left at his wife of four months, Ruto. She sat with her legs crossed, her fins draped over the sides of her throne. Like most zoras, she had a fishtail like extension hanging from the back of her head. Her skin was pale white like most of her kind, but rather than having turquoise toned skin near her forearms, calves, and her head's fishtail she bore a soft magenta color. In addition to these features, zoras have fins that hang from just above their forearms, as well as the sides and backs of their waists and still another pair of fins that hang from the crown of their heads to that fall beside their faces down to about their pectoral area. The fins from the head a zora usually pierced and hung jewelry on and Ruto was no exception.

For several seconds the highlander stared at his wife, drinking in her beauty. Knowing her devotion to him had always brought peace to his heart. Her many jewels glittered in the sunlight shining through a skylight above the throne room. Eventually, Ruto returned his gaze, her midnight black eyes full of affection. She smiled lovingly at Cyrus and he felt his heart warm. She had been the only thing that made life as a hylian-highlander prince of the zoras bearable in recent months. As brief as their courtship was they both were deeply committed to one another. The princess had helped Cyrus learn or relearn the life of a noble: the regular schedule, meeting with various dignitaries, the stiff etiquette, the clothes, in general behaving like a prince rather than what he heard a retainer once call "a roving barbarian." Cyrus had greatly enjoyed his past mercenary career, especially because of the freedom it afforded him and, coming from highlander stock, he gained a strange pleasure from the combat.

The highlander shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The scarlet red royal robes he was wearing kept getting caught under certain parts of his body that made it pull down on one shoulder or another. He felt cold wearing the silk shirt and trousers, especially here in Zora's Domain where the omnipresent flowing water gave a crispness and chill to the air. He often wondered how the zoras could tolerate it when they wore nothing but jewelry in most cases. Feeling a twinge of pain where his coral circlet snagged a hair he exhaled irritably and compulsively reached up to adjust it.

Just now as the last petitioner left the court, Cyrus sighed deeply with a combination of exasperation and relief as he dragged his hands down his face. "Cyrus, what do you suggest?" King Ralis asked, causing the highlander to start. "What was that, milord?" he replied hurriedly. The title still came slowly to him because when he was a mercenary he rarely used it for even the highest officials. Furthermore, he felt uncomfortable referring to his own father-in-law as such.

"Cyrus. My son," the king began soberly, yet with a fatherly love, despite only being his father in law for a few short months. "You must take a greater interest in these people. You may be a hylian and not a zora, but the burden of ruling the zora tribe will fall to you and Ruto someday and you cannot have her bear that burden alone. You need to spend time in court learning how to serve these people," he reprimanded. "A king or queen should not rule alone," he added quietly with sadness. His own wife had died some years earlier. "Apologies, my king." Cyrus answered politely. "You know well that this is not a life I'm accustomed to. Sitting on a throne all day…" he was cut off by a tap from Ruto. She directed both the men back to the question at hand. "Dearest, my father asked you what your opinion was on the fishing rights near the lower Zora's River? Two parcels of the river overlap with each other."

"Right," Cyrus acknowledged. "Which claim was staked first?"

"The upstream claim," Ruto answered tersely.

"And how was the claim marked?" Cyrus asked. Due to the education he had received when he became a prince, Cyrus was becoming a decent mediator.

"By posts with a rope drawn across," the King replied. "As is common in our domain."

"Then how could they be overlapping?" the highlander replied, puzzled. "Unless one moved his posts beyond his neighbor's."

"The man holding the downstream parcel claims that the original posts were moved." Ruto explained.

A solution came readily to the hylian's mind. "Send someone to examine if there are post holes further up or down stream. Depending on which side of the current markers the holes are on, we'll know if they were moved and by who,." he answered, rising from his throne and stretching.

"Permission to be dismissed?" Cyrus asked. He began walking away toward the stairs that led to his and Ruto's quarters without waiting for acknowledgment from the king. "Granted," came the reply with a small degree of irritation in the king's voice.

Ruto looked to her father, who nodded to give her leave. She trotted up beside Cyrus and wrapped an arm around his side as they walked away together. The hylian returned the gesture and leaned his head upon his beloved's. Cyrus was taller than most men, and Ruto was only a few inches shorter than him, coming to about the same height as the average hylain male. Upon reaching their quarters, the highlander immediately removed his circlet and set it on the dresser before moving to the balcony overlooking Zora's Domain and leaning on its short wall. The pale orange of the setting sun could be seen between the canyon walls that surrounded the zoran city, making the canals a blazing orange. The warm tones of the sun also brought out the pinks of the coral that were smattered about the buildings below, enhancing their beauty.

"What's wrong, dearest?" Ruto asked with concern. When they married she knew that Cyrus was not used to this lifestyle. She had hoped that he would grow more accustomed to it, only to find the opposite happening. It pained her greatly to see her husband so downcast. The highlander sighed deeply. "Somedays, it feels like everything is wrong, bonnie," he replied, using the highlander word for beauty to refer to his wife. "I can't live like this. Even if it is in my blood. I can't sit on a chair all day and listen to people complain. It feels the same every day, almost like I'm a prisoner here," he said, irritation rising in his voice. "Arise, devotions, breakfast, business, court, more business, luncheon, public appearances, more court, dinner, and yet even more court and business." Cyrus's voice was almost a shout by now. "That kind of work kills me. By the time it's over I'm too exhausted to do anything else! I haven't even had had the energy to practice my swordsmanship or help Salin reform our military, which is the only governmental thing I've really _wanted_ to do since my rise to the throne," he said this last phrase with some derision. His frustrations were showing themselves much more in his voice now. "I haven't even had time for…" he was cut off when he made eye contact with Ruto.

The princess was full of life, energetic, and a good fighter, all qualities Cyrus found attractive, yet she was prim and proper enough to fit her station. Ruto was well suited to be a ruler over her people, Cyrus thought. She was just, true, and deeply considered the feelings of others before making decisions regarding her people.

"For me?" Ruto asked with a touch of sweetened pain to her voice as she pecked her husband on the cheek, bringing his wandering thoughts back to the present. The highlander sighed wistfully once again. "I'm privileged to have a woman by my side that would make all this worth it," he said mostly to himself to remind himself why he ruled. The princess beamed.

As the highlander paced away he said, "Ruto, you once told me before that previous to our marriage King Ralis didn't often make you sit at court. Why do you think he changed his tune when we married?"

The beautiful princess watched Cyrus as he moved away. "I suppose that now his only posterity is married he feels greater urgency to make sure that she is fit to rule when he meets his end." she replied.

"Blast him for being so responsible," Cyrus answered jokingly, yet with some bitterness. Ruto considered that bitterness. "Dearest, lately you seem to be much more... uncomfortable with the prospect of ruling the zoras than you ever have before. There must be something more that's troubling you."

"By Nayru, there is," the highlander replied irritably. "But it's something that I need to reconcile with myself," he eventually said in answer. Whenever Ruto attempted to address what was causing her husband such irritation he always dismissed the subject and further inquiry was always met with silence. Both of their thoughts were interrupted by a bellowing shout heard across the courtyard from the direction of the barracks. It was very loud, even with the distance involved.

"MOVE IT, YOU GREENGILLS! KEEP YOUR ENDS UP! HOW CAN YOU EVER CALL YOURSELF A ZORA WHEN YOU CAN'T EVEN…!"

"Sounds like Salin. I should be down there with him," Cyrus groaned.

"You don't think he's being too harsh?" Ruto asked with concern, squinting in the direction of the barracks to see just what was going on.

"Iron is made strong from trauma," Cyrus quoted. It was an old adage often said to new mercenaries when they were finding training too difficult. Hearing the training across the courtyard made him wonder about something.

Hanging on the wall was Cyrus's sword within its scabbard. Still unchanged from his mercenary days, his crest, a downward facing sword within a red rupee was still on the sheath. He drew forth the blade with a slow ring. Though he hadn't so much as touched it for over a month, the weight of his sword still felt familiar, if not comfortable to him. He felt complete with his blade in his hand. After giving it a few swings, he looked at the sword. He saw something that struck every fiber of his being and made his stomach heave, his blood boil, and his mind fume. Rust had cankered several spots on his sword. The prince's face now shone a look of revulsion, horror, and fury that took Ruto by surprise. She knew that Cyrus's sword was one his most prized possessions, but she didn't know just how hard he would take having a few spots of rust on his weapon.

Now looking intently with a scrutinizing eye at his blade, Cyrus skulked over once again to the balcony and seated himself on the ground, sword laid beside him. He remained in this position for the rest of the evening. Ruto eventually gave up trying to speak with him. Her attempts to comfort the tormented man didn't seem to elicit any success. Soon enough she was forced to give up and retired to bed on her own, sleep coming slowly because of worry.

Late into the night, a deafening thunderclap awoke the zora princess from her already fitful rest. _I hope Cyrus at least moved out of the rain_ , she thought to herself in the haze of the mind that accompanies a sharp awakening. Though dark, Ruto could tell that Cyrus had indeed left the balcony. As her senses returned, she noticed he had also departed from the bedroom entirely. She called out to him, but no answer came. Her searching became frantic as she looked from room to room in their suite and found no trace of the highlander. When she noted that his sword and traveling cloak were gone she rushed outside into the palace and to the courtyard. Cyrus taking these things could only mean one thing: he was departing Zora's Domain.

Cyrus and Ruto had agreed at their marriage that the highlander could leave Zora's Domain on occasion should time permit to go adventuring, and this is what Ruto presumed he had done. But how could he be so thoughtless as to leave in the middle of the night without telling her?

To move faster, she leapt into the canal that flowed through the heart of the city. A zora could swim faster than they could ever run. Once she was about to leave the city, she was hailed by a guard. His voice carried well, even over the sound of pouring rain upon the water. She paid no attention to his calls, but forged onward. Before she could pass his position, however, she crashed into the guard who had jumped into the river to head her off.

"Where are you going princess?" the night guard demanded. "You hadn't tried to sneak out since…" Ruto cut him off. With a sharp wave. "I'm looking for Cyrus! He left and didn't say anything to me, I want to know what's going on," she hastily explained, about to torpedo past the guard but he seized her arm before she could move. "Cyrus didn't pass by this way. Are you sure he's leaving?" the guard asked, now with concern rising in his voice.

"Of course!" she replied impatiently, jerking her arm free. "He took his sword and his travelling clothes! What else could it mean?!"

"Calm down princess," the guard assured. "He couldn't have gone far in this downpour, since he can't go under the water to avoid it."

Ruto clapped herself on the head. "How could I be so daft! He wouldn't leave by the river! Not only can he not swim down there, the trail is impassable in this slog! He's gone through the blind gate!" she exclaimed and arced to swim the opposite direction. Within short minutes the princess was now at the blind gate, the southern passage into Zora's Domain. This exit was so named because it was an entry into the kingdom that few knew about, yet it was not in the least bit concealed **.** It simply lay in a part of Hyrule that was rarely travelled.

Darting out of the river and over the path that led to the blind gate with a speed that she had never mustered before, Ruto caught a glimpse of a retreating figure in the light of another lightning strike. _How did he get a horse out here?_ she silently questioned, beating for the gate. Cyrus was afraid of riding, or so the princess thought, but there he was, riding a horse as if he was completely unafraid.

Panting, Ruto screamed out to Cyrus. The highlander peered out beneath the hood of his travelling cloak at the woman he loved so much. She rushed forward to him, but stopped when Cyrus lifted out of his shirt the Zora's Sapphire. Ruto could easily recognize the faint blue glow of the ancient talisman. The Zora's Sapphire was a traditional token of marital engagement given by Zoran princesses, and so it was the case with Ruto. When he showed the amulet to his wife, Cyrus had sent a very clear message to Ruto: he still loved her and still honored their commitment. Before the princess could compose herself again enough to speak, Cyrus spurred his horse on and rode into the plains, leaving Ruto behind, too stunned to shout to him again, weep, or even move from her spot. She simply stared out into the rain in disbelief.

After Cyrus had left, Ruto did not get any further sleep that night, but she still attempted to prepare for her duties of the day. The rain had slowed to a faint drizzle, not enough to be too bothersome, but still enough to encourage feelings of melancholy. The princess began to put on her many jewels and ornaments, but she felt hollow inside. Why had Cyrus left without a word, his only farewell brandishing the Zora's Sapphire?

She stared into the mirror for a few moments. Dark circles had gathered under her eyes. The princess hung her head with a sigh. If she didn't find out why Cyrus had done what he did, she would be losing sleep for many nights hence. _So why don't I find out where he went?_ she thought to herself. _He could not have gotten very far..._ Ordinarily she did not venture on her own beyond Lake Hylia, but she did gain some pleasure on taking the journey that she had accompanied Cyrus and his friend Murad, the cowardly descendant of the hero of time. Of course, it had been some time since she had slipped away from Zora's Domain unnoticed, though it would be a little easier now that her father become accustomed to her showing up at court every day. Ruto smiled at her reflection impishly. _Just to stay in practice_ , she thought.

It didn't take long for the princess to remind herself of how to leave the palace unnoticed. First she would swing herself off the balcony railing into the waterfall. After going down the falls, she would swim low in the canals to stay unseen until she could climb out into the unlit back alleys of the workers' district. Then she would make her way around the alleys until arriving at the river gate of Zora's Domain, dive into the water and silently swim along the shadowy bottom corners out of sight and hearing of the guards and then down either of the forks of the Zora's River to Lake Hylia or Hyrule Field. She opted for the Hyrule Field exit as Cyrus was more likely to head that way. The princess repeated the plan in her mind, took a deep breath and hurled herself over the balcony railing.

Outside of the city and pinned up against the cliffside near the Zora's River fork Ruto huffed in satisfaction. She had made it out unnoticed. Right as she was about to travel down the fork that would lead to Hyrule Field, a barking call from a voice she came to be rather familiar with called out to her. "And just where do you think you're going, princess?" he demanded

Ruto winced. The voice belonged to Salin Bluescale, the captain of the guard and the same one she had heard shouting at soldiers last night. Salin used to be a mercenary like Cyrus, but had eventually come to join the zoran guard. Despite his lack of respect for authority, he quickly ascended the ranks to the position he was in now due to his skill and leadership qualities. Since his captainship he was able to make unprecedented changes to the zoran army, teaching them many tactics and discipline that he had learned in his mercenary career. Previous to this the zoran army had been a subject of ridicule, but in a few short months they may well have been the best in Hyrule.

Salin leapt into the water to get close to the princess. He was in full combat gear as he usually was, armed with his favorite weapon, a polearm not unlike a halberd, but with blades on both sides of the pole. "You'd better explain… Never mind. It doesn't matter. You shouldn't be outside of the city without guards," he reprimanded. Ruto only shook her head in disgust at how she let her guard down and was about to swim off, but Salin grabbed her. "You're not going anywhere!" Salin declared.

"Stand down!" Ruto ordered, but Salin would not obey.

"We can't afford to lose you, milady. You need to return to the safety of Zora's Domain. You can only travel when you're accompanied by your guards," the captain persisted. In answer, Ruto grabbed his wrist and flipped him over, making a large splash. She again attempted to flee, but Salin quickly recovered and grabbed her ankle. Irritation was forming on both faces now. "Fine. You want me to give an explanation?" Ruto thundered. "Cyrus left last night without saying a word and I'm going after him. Fine job your guards did of stopping him."

Bubbles flowed out the gills on Salin's trunk, something that happens to a zora when their emotions run high. Salin didn't address the accusation, but simply asked in disbelief, "He.. left?"

"Yes!" Ruto growled impatiently. "He left out the blind gate last night during the rain. On horseback." Salin scratched his chin. "The rain would've make it impossible to track him…" he said absently, then refocusing on the princess, he ordered, "I'll dispatch some men to go look for him. You should attend to your duties back at the palace."

The princess was rapidly losing what little patience she had left. "As if I didn't think of that! Finding Cyrus _is_ my duty! It's part of our marriage vows!" she protested. Salin let out a bark of a laugh in response. "Besides," she continued, "who better to search for him than someone as concerned as I am about his welfare? I've heard what some of your soldiers call my dearest: barbarian, torch-head, bloodlusty foreigner, and a few others. If you sent the wrong soldiers out, they wouldn't even bother." Ruto was beginning to calm somewhat. "No, I should go."

Salin yawned. "You still are bound here, for safety reasons, of course." The princess's temper was rising once again. "You're as bound to Zora's Domain as I am! If my safety is so paramount, why don't you come with me?!"

Something about being told that he was bound struck Salin's nerves. As a mercenary he always felt free, but as a regular he didn't have the same liberties. Here he was being offered a chance to venture out once again, in what may be like one of the old search and rescue jobs he had embarked on, but Cyrus probably didn't need rescuing… And it would _technically_ be permissible, since he was serving as the princess's guard while she went out.

"Let's move it, then!" Salin piped. "The prince could be halfway across Hyrule by now!" Ruto smiled the same impish grin she had earlier and followed closely behind. Which grin quickly turned down. "I… don't know where he'd even go…"

Salin was a very fast swimmer even while wearing his armor. "Easy enough, I know a few places he might go. First would probably be the mercenary camp, if he's craving adventure. If we can't find him there, we can try Castle Town. He might find some freelance work there. _Maybe_ he'd go to Ordon to try and drag Murad around with him. I don't know why he even tries. Murad has no fighting spirit…"

 **The princess cleared her throat to bring back the guard's wandering attention. "After that, I don't know," he continued. "But we should try those places at least before we start losing our heads. Let me think… The mercenary camp should still be somewhere south of Castle Town…"**


	2. Chapter 2

Salin and Ruto left the river after it ran into the bridge in west Hyrule Field. "Why not just try Castle Town first?" Ruto asked. "It's a good deal closer than where you said the mercenary camp was." Salin's fins fluttered in the breeze. "If he were at the mercenary camp as is most likely, it would spare us the few days it well could take looking for him in the masses of Castle Town," he countered. "If time is an issue then," the princess suggested, "we could split up…"

"No," Salin interrupted sternly. Ruto didn't care to have a similar argument to the one she had only minutes earlier and chose not to press the suggestion. "To the mercenary camp, then," she sighed in resignation.

After hours of traveling, the heat of midsummer was quickly wearing on the two Zoras, who could not stay in the harsh sun for long for fear of becoming sun dried. "I should have brought my canteen!" Ruto panted, shuffling now through the grass. Salin grunted in affirmation, showing signs of waning strength as well. The princess stumbled and finding no help from her guard collapsed to her hands and knees. She was about to rebuke Salin for his carelessness until she saw him pelting as fast as he could with his remaining strength toward a pool of rainwater. Hope now augmented her strength and she quickly joined.

Neither could cover their entire body with the water all at once, but they felt their whole strength returning quickly. "I'm getting out of shape," Salin grumbled. "I used to be able to stay out for days in sun like this before I had to wet my gills."

"Mm…" Ruto answered, but then sat bolt upright. "Look! Tents! How did we not see them! Is that the mercenary camp?" she asked excitedly, beginning to run that direction. Salin grabbed her before she even left the small pool, causing her to land face down in the the mud. She cast him a sour look while tossing her head's fishtail behind her back and then cleaning off the mud. Rising, Salin addressed her. "That is the mercenary camp. No place for royalty and definitely no place for a lady."

"Aren't you such a gentleman," the princess murmured sarcastically, then loud enough for him to hear. "I need to know if Cyrus is in there. I can handle myself from groping mercenaries," she said, flexing her fins to give them a sharp edge. Salin shook his head. "You're staying here," he ordered firmly.

"Just stop me," she countered. The other gripped his polearm, ready to strike. "As you wish, milady," he replied with an eye roll, placing a firm blow with the butt of the weapon to her head, knocking her unconscious.

When Ruto came to she found that she was tied to a branch high in a tree and was gagged. That cur, she thought darkly, shaking the tree limb. This only caused leaves to fall on her, but below she heard a voice. "What ho?" the bass voice rumbled, looking into the branches. This man was astride a proud white horse. He was dressed in fine clothes, and had a superior quality sabre at his side. His crimson red silk cloak shimmered in the afternoon sunlight as he dismounted and squinted into the tree. Without any further words, he quickly scampered up and cut the princess loose.

"What is a fine young zora lady like yourself doing tied to a tree?" he asked, helping her down. "I swear to you milady, if I find the man that did this to you…" he began.

"Thank you," she said, once they were on the ground. "But I do not require you to intervene on my behalf," she continued, allowing her more proper side to show to this company. "It was done for my protection," the princess answered. "Though it was a most… unorthodox way to do so, to be sure."

"From what, milady?" the other inquired, puzzled. The princess did not reply until she had straightened some of her skewed jewelry. "That mercenary camp over there…" she gestured, but was interrupted by the other man. "How very rude of me! I had neglected to introduce myself. I am Tsobar, milady. To whom do I owe the pleasure?"

Although Ruto was anxious to rendezvous with Salin to see what he found out about Cyrus, she observed proper etiquette to this handsome man of apparently fine upbringing before her. "Princess Ruto of the lake zora. Pleased to make your acquaintance, Sir Tsobar," she answered with a slight tilt of the head.

"Princess!" Tsobar gasped. "Forgive me, milady, for I did not know…" he added hastily as he fell to his knees.

"Arise," Ruto said directly. "You were under no fault."

"As you wish, your grace," the polite man said as he rose. "But what has brought you so far from Zora's Domain, to this dingy mercenary camp no less?" he asked.

"I am looking for someone," she replied absently, turning to look toward the camp. Small cookfires were being lit everywhere in its boundaries.

"A rouge guard perhaps?" the other suggested.

"That's who I'm waiting for," Ruto whispered, letting her etiquette slip with the contractions and jabbing response concerning the zora that accompanied her. Tsobar ignored this however, and offered his assistance to find whoever she had lost. "And if I may be so bold," he continued. "But you are quite breathtaking. May I have the pleasure of your company after I have found who you have lost in yon camp?"

The princess was taken aback by the forward request, and made it known in her polite fashion, also notifying this charming fellow that it was her husband she was looking for.

"Honorless dog!" he sputtered. "Leaving you alone like he has and going to the mercenary camp!" This was a grave mistake to his attempts to woo the zora.

"I happen to love the man which is why I am searching for him. He might be Laird's Son of Gleight but it was not for political reasons that we made our union!" she rebuked coldly. Something about the mention of her husband being heir to the throne of Gleight struck the other man.

"Is your husband Cyrus Mhic Gleight?" he asked flatly. The princess nodded in affirmation, still somewhat offended at the insult of her husband.

The man before her now cut an imposing figure, standing tall with his well-trimmed ebony black hair and beard hiding his perturbed expression slightly. "How do you know him?" the princess now asked out of curiosity, but she was now wary.

"That… man," Tsobar began, catching himself before he called Cyrus something terrible. "Had no regard for my commands whatsoever. I daresay it must have been the influence of that loose arrow of a Zora that liked to be called 'the Unchained Barracuda,' no offence to one of your own, madam," he explained. The zora he was referring to was Salin, who during his mercenary career had gained this title due to his willfulness. As such, when he was given assignments he was often forced to work under particularly firm commanding officers. Ruto knew of Salin's previous call name, and was beginning to suspect something. "Are you a mercenary yourself, sir Tsobar?" she asked.

"I prefer the term 'free soldier,' if it pleases milady," Tsobar replied, his temper falling at the change of subject. "I may hire out my sword, but I do it with honor and dignity unlike the rest of the swine here."

Before they could continue their conversation, Salin came bounding toward them, with egg and various smashed vegetables marring his formerly shiny armor. "Princess Ruto!" he called out. Tsobar recognized the voice instantly and his hands clenched into fists. "You keep company with this lout?" he growled while the other zora approached.

"Princess Ruto," the guard repeated. "Cyrus is not there. Nobody in the camp has seen him for months, they said." He now turned to face Tsobar. "If it isn't Colonel Dandy! Trying to steal the princess's heart?" Salin addressed with contempt. The zora now tried to lead his princess away. "Listen to nothing this man says. He's not to be trusted. Almost got Cyrus and me killed because he was jealous that we kept getting his contracts."

Tsobar strode forward, his deep bass voice almost causing the ground to tremble as he thundered, "Salin you impudent fool!" The mercenary then withdrew one of his gloves and was about to strike Salin, a sign of a duel, but Ruto grabbed his arm before the blow would land. "I will not have you declare a duel upon one of my subjects," she ordered firmly.

Tsobar's eyes grew dangerous. "Take the advice I give you, princess: Cyrus has no honor and should not be trusted, as evidenced by his leaving you. Come find me, milady, when you realize your mistake. I shall await your return," he said smoothly, kissing her hand after removing it from his arm. He then mounted his horse and galloped to the camp.

The zoras watched the figure retreat for some time before either of them spoke again. "Tsobar. Never has a greater dandy been in the ranks of Hyrule's mercenaries. He is a good fighter; you have to be to make it out of the brawls that will follow you in the camp if you dress like that," Salin explained. Ruto paid no heed to her companion, but only looked him up and down to examine the many bits and pieces of food and dirt that were stuck to him, as well as some blood on his right gauntlet.

"What happened in there?" she asked. Salin looked at himself and grinned. "The crabs in there think that I think I'm better than they are now because I became a regular. Don't worry, the only thing they really injured was my pride, but even that I got back fairly quickly. When you're in the camp, you need to show that you're not to be trifled with," he said as he was scrubbing the blood from his gauntlet. Ruto looked at it disapprovingly. "What about Cyrus? Had anyone seen him?"

Salin shook his head in response, occupied more with cleaning his dirtied armor.

"You didn't hurt anyone… too badly, did you?"

"Just knocked a few teeth out, but they were going to rot out in a few months anyway, probably," the soldier replied, with much less remorse than Ruto thought should be in his voice.

The failure to find Cyrus prompted a sigh of frustration from Ruto as she looked toward the north. "Castle Town next, then?"

"In the morning," Salin replied, spreading bedrolls for himself and the princess. "They close the gates at night, you know that," he said before the princess could protest.

"Even so, it's still quite early," Ruto persisted, looking toward the sun, which was still an hour or so away from dusk. Just how long was I unconscious for? she wondered as she looked at Salin. He was now removing his armor and immersing himself in the pool of rainwater that they had used to refresh themselves earlier that day. Finally, he answered, "We can get up early and hopefully arrive in town before noon."

Ruto then looked critically at the bedrolls. "And won't these be too hot to sleep in at this time of year?" she asked.

"Better than having rats eat the soles of your feet," Salin replied, getting into a comfortable position. The princess shuddered and grumbled as she got into her roll for a fitful and sweaty night's rest, but sat up with a start.

"Salin!" she barked. The guard rolled over tentatively. She sounded very angry. "What?" he asked with a groan. Suddenly he felt himself tumble out of his bedroll when she pulled it up and dumped him out to sprawl into a heap on the ground. "Unf!" he grunted. He was laying on his head's fishtail which caused him pain when he tried to shift his head as it remained under some other part of his body. Looking upside down, Salin saw the princess's furious gaze leering at him from her black eyes. They looked like they would devour his very soul.

"How dare you strike your princess, one of the royal house of zora whom you swore to protect!" Ruto blustered. Salin's own emerald green eyes met the princess's without fear. "Oh, that's what you're so mad about. That was hours ago," he mumbled as he picked himself back up. "Just obeying your orders to stop you, milady," the guard replied coolly, sinking his teeth into the last word. He knew how much she hated to be addressed by this particular title. It wasn't necessarily because it was formal title, it was just that for some reason, being called "milady," bothered her.

Ruto heaved a few stuttering breaths as she usually did when she was angry. "You know full well, Salin Bluescale, that such an offence is a crime with severe punishment!" she roared. The other only regarded her the way he would an unarmed bokoblin that was threatening a child's stuffed animal. "Are you even listening!?" the princess continued to the seemingly unabashed zora. Her temper rose even further at the lack of response, and her gills opened and released their water to show it.

"Are you through? I want to get back to bed," Salin requested with a yawn. The princess's eyes widened. "The gall…!" she sputtered. The guard attempted a grab at his bedroll that his princess was still retaining, but she yanked it out of reach. "I do not think you appreciate the gravity of this situation," Ruto huffed. Her voice had lowered now, but the level of anger had not. Making another grab at the bedroll and failing, Salin now moved toward the princess's unoccupied roll to claim it, but was intercepted. "Yes, yes, I know the gravity. Such disrespect for the crown deserves no less than loss of fins, a sea urchin bath, forty lashes followed by forty whacks with a cane in the same place and execution on subsequent offenses," he recited disinterestedly. "But who out here saw that I knocked you out? And would you really chop the fins off of the head of the guard? Plus a worse fate than that would have been in store for you had you actually gone into that camp."

Ruto was growing more irritated by the lack of respect Salin was exhibiting, and he could tell. However, he was beginning to see that this situation wouldn't be like similar ones he had in his mercenary days; he wouldn't be able to escape punishment by throwing a few punches (Hylian mercenary laws were not rigidly enforced in regards to insubordination. Ironically, Salin escaped justice for such by boxing his superiors and knocking them out. Brawling and winning brawls earned one great respect for oneself as a fighter among the mercenaries,) but he would need to resort to a different approach. "Could it wait until we return to Zora's Domain, at least? There's the matter of Cyrus…" he reminded. Ruto untensed at the show of submission and returned the bedroll to its owner. "I'll hold you to it," she warned, returning to her own bedroll. Salin grinned as he did so as well. I think you might change your mind when we find Cyrus again, he thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Salin awoke toward the end of a near pitch-black night. Clouds had rolled in to obscure the stars and moon. The clouded over trace of a half moon was the only light present. He hadn't awoken on his own, however. He heard the thumping footsteps of bulbins in their small camp. He remained silent and groaned in his mind _How could I be so stupid not to set a watch?_ Carefully he traced their orange eyes that reflected the stunted moonlight as well as the noise they made. He could hear that right now they were rifling through his armor, and one of them had just dropped the zora's rather heavy polearm…

Six bulbins all screamed when an angry zora torpedoed out of his bedroll into one of their own number, slashing his throat with razor-sharp fins. "Garack! Garack!" they cried, but now even more alarmed to see that the other zora had risen and in the haze of waking was assessing what was going on around her.

Three of them noticed the light glinting off the many jewels that the female zora was wearing (even in her sleep) and presumed that she must be someone of high rank that could be ransomed for a great sum of rupees. These three now surrounded the princess who was still trying to make her way out of her bedroll which had stuck to her because of the sweat. Salin could be of no help currently as he was preoccupied with two other bulbins who had sense enough to mount their bulbo.

Ruto now had struggled out of her bedroll in time to see a crude rock club being swung at her head. With quick reflex she leaned back away from the blow, but felt her head make contact with the bulbin behind her, who grabbed her head's fishtail. Yelping in pain, the princess scrambled quickly to avoid the grimy hands of the other bulbins trying to pin her arms and legs. The one behind her was now walking with her fishtail, pulling her over and dragging her a few feet.

In the darkness Salin managed to find his polearm and prepared to use it against his now mounted foes. He heard the rumbling hoofbeats of the bulbo and could saw a tiny flame spark. One of them had just lit an arrow. The zora could easily see and avoid the lighted projectile and dove to the side just as the bulbo was thundering past. The archer lit another shot, which allowed Salin to see his approaching target. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the princess struggling with three of the cruel monsters. As much as he knew she needed help, he had to focus on his current targets or he would be of no use. These marauders had to be separated to be defeated.

Three bulbins gurgled joyfully as they were dragging the princess away. She continued to struggle mightily until one of the bulbins lost his grip and she heard a loud splash followed by surprised screaming from the bandit. He had fallen into the pool of rainwater that the zoras had refreshed themselves in the day before. Taking advantage of the lapse in concentration from the other two, Ruto hurled her weight to the side, knocking over the bulbin that had gripped her arms, then whipped up and dug her fins into the chest of the other holding her legs. The princess whirled around while her assailant clutched his chest and pitched forward as life left him. Even in the subdued moonlight, Ruto could still tell where the other two bulbins were. The one that had fallen into the water was squelching his way through the mud toward her while the other had now sprinted away and prepared his bow and fire arrows.

Rumbling hoofbeats came ever nearer to Salin, who had now planted the end of his weapon into the ground and vaulted forward onto the bulbo's head, causing the beast to fly into a rage and charge forward blindly. The bulbin in back tumbled off easily while the other was struggling with the reins and only barely retaining his seat. Salin through sheer determination maintained his grip and dealt a punch to the bulbin, knocking him off his steed. The bulbo by now had exhausted itself and rolled to the side and was panting until the zora landed a thrust to its skull.

With little difficulty the princess evaded the illuminated arrows. Bulbin arrows generally flew slowly due to the poor quality bows they used. Mostly she was buying time as the squelching wet footsteps grew closer. Finally, when they had become very near, Ruto stabbed her fins at the outlines of her assailant's arms, rendering them useless then picked up the protesting brigand and held him between herself and his comrade who continued shooting arrows, landing every one of them into his companion. Getting within range, Ruto hurled the lifeless body of one bulbin onto the other and leapt onto the pile, slashing her last living opponent's throat with her fin.

Salin had just finished his fight as well, finding the last two bulbins and dealing heavy enough swings with his polearm to disarm and kill them in the same stroke. Spinning rapidly and facing the princess's direction, he bellowed "For Zora!" though he halted almost immediately once he saw the other bulbins laying dead. The clouds had parted and moonlight beamed down upon the pair. Ruto was crouched on the ground trying to clean the blood off of her fins on the grass. She was trembling, and had a mortified expression on her face, not even acknowledging her guard. Approaching tentatively, Salin laid his polearm on the ground and asked the princess in a soft voice, "Are you alright, Ruto?"

Through chattering teeth, Ruto was mumbling, "Captured… I was almost captured again…" During her adventure with Cyrus and Murad in the Lakebed Temple she had been captured by river zoras and was threatened with rape multiple times, which caused her no small distress. This experience scarred her permanently, fearing that those threats would be made good if she ever fell into enemy hands again. Salin, generally an unempathic person, though not uncaring cleared his throat. "You handled yourself well, princess. I didn't know you had such combat prowess," he offered, trying to assuage her anxiety.

Ruto was finding herself wishing much more strongly that Cyrus was there, to be able to fall into his strong arms. Certainly, she could defend herself, but fighting always made her heart feel faint. "All members of the zora royal family are trained in combat and martial arts. And," she shivered "Great strength comes from great fear."

"Oh, they were only bulbins. Nothing to be afraid of for someone with our skills," Salin chimed brightly as he helped up the princess. Once she had recovered her strength she promptly left Salin and rerolled her bedroll. "It was not the fact that they were bulbins," she shuddered. Salin tried to elicit an explanation, but Ruto refused to discuss the subject any further. Her only reply to further inquiry was to change the topic. "I don't think I can sleep any more after that. Can we get moving to Castle Town? They should open the gates by the time we get there."

The pair could now hear snuffling nearby, and with the unobscured moonlight now present, they could see the remaining bulbo that the now dead bulbins had rode into their camp. "We could ride him. It would be a lot faster and easier on the feet," Salin suggested, about to mound it. Looking at the hideous boar-like mounts caused the princess to make a gagging noise. "I will not stoop so low to ride these… pigs. They are the mount of a deranged people," she declined coolly, turning her back to them.

Having the bulbos being called pigs reminded Salin that he had no meals the previous day and that these beasts were good eating. "We should at least have breakfast before we go," the guard piped cheerfully while expertly butchering the dead bulbo with his fins and extracting some meat. "Princess, you're not too high and mighty to gather some wood, are you?" he asked, his cheerfulness from having such a bounty. "Princess?" he probed, not hearing any response from the other. Turning around, he saw her near the tree, gagging and then leave to gather sticks. _Proper upbringing breeds haughty demeanor and weak stomachs_ , he thought darkly. _But I thought she had gutted plenty of fish in her life…?_

Soon enough both were enjoying a breakfast of fresh bulbo meat just as the first rays of dawn were coloring the remaining tufts of clouds orange and topaz yellow. Ruto tried to eat the meat on her stick as gingerly as possible while keeping her back to the carcass of the bulbo and ignoring the smell. "For Din's sake Ruto, it's not as if Princess Zelda is here, you can eat that pig without looking like it's diseased," Salin chuckled as he finished his own portion and hurled his stick away. Looking around in the morning light at the camp, Ruto had lost what little appetite she had after their ambush once she way the flies begin to gather on the bulbins' corpses. "Sh… should we bury them…?" she asked distantly. Salin found himself gaining some sick pleasure from the princess's revulsion towards the sights that she had seen so little of yet he had seen so much of because of his previous career. "Let 'em molder. That's probably the most proper treatment they give their own comrades. I hear they eat their dead members…" he answered in a low voice. This caused Ruto to bury her head in her hands and moan in disgust.

Ruto composed herself the best she could then dipped herself in the pool and headed toward the outline of Castle Town in the distance. She wanted to be away from the macabre campsite as quickly as possible. Ignoring Salin's protests and pleas that she wait for him to don his armor, she forged ahead. The guard did not even rejoin her until several minutes later, sprinting, panting, and fully armored, clanking as he went. "Don't leave me behind like that!" he rebuked while he came to her side.

"Then don't drive me off," Ruto whispered under her breath. Then she asked more loudly "How long do you think it will take us to get to Castle Town?" Salin looked toward the large city and then over to the sun that was just peering over the mountains in the distance. "We should make it while it's still morning," he replied. "And by the way, didn't a bulbin fall in that water last night?" Salin knew how inappropriate it was to upset the princess like did, but with the squirm she made and her vow to bathe as soon as she had the chance he thought it very worth it.

The two zoras travelled for some distance before either of them said anything. "Do mercenaries come to Castle Town often?" Ruto asked, running the edges of her fins over herself. The effect was twofold: first to help her feel cleaner after the reminder that the pool had been tainted by bulbins, and second to dislodge any loose scales.

Salin scraped away at some rubbish that was still stuck to his armor and didn't reply until he had finished. "It depends," he stated, looking himself over. "What one will usually find in Castle Town are jobs for an individual to do or small groups to do, and not a whole battalion of mercenaries." The guard broke a grin. "I think my reputation led me to find most of my mercenary work in Castle Town." Ever since Salin had enlisted with the Zora Guard, the zoran royal family had seen just how independent he was. Even so, he did have a knack for command and training, and though he didn't often keep orders unless he thought them wise he was assigned to a commanding position. This was to the chagrin of several of the other officers.

Eventually the main road entering the Castle Town south gate could be seen from the hills. It was travelled currently by a colorful sea of farmers and traders taking their wares to market. Ruto was slightly nervous. She had been to Castle Town many times, but always with an entourage of guards and retainers shouting for the masses to make way for her in the streets. Now the only company she had was a single guard that she doubted would care to make the public scene required to part the crowds for her convenience.

As they joined the road, many heads turned to look at them. Few zoras were seen inside of Castle Town as the aquatic race generally stayed around the lakes and rivers of Hyrule. On top of that, the princess's beauty and many jewels attracted many more of the eyes of the Hylians and the occasional goron on the road. Trying her best to ignore the stares, though she was used to them, Ruto asked her companion, "How will we find Cyrus in these masses?" Salin leered in warning at a Hylian he thought was getting too close before he replied. "Freelancers will gather around the market to advertise themselves as escorts for trade caravans. Cyrus hasn't done that _too_ much, so it isn't very likely he would be there, but we can see. Wealthy artifact collectors will sometimes hire out men to hunt down some treasure they want. We can check the more prominent ones to see if any of them have spoken to him. Aside from that, we just stand on the fountain in the main square and see if we can find him."

"Funny," Ruto scoffed as they neared the gates. She didn't realize that Salin was serious about standing on the fountain.

"What an odd couple you make," a guard commented as they were entering the gate. He was arrayed like most Hylian soldiers. He wore chainmail armor emblazoned with the crest of the Kingdom. His helm covered all but his mouth. This soldier was armed with a spear with a lion's paw carved on the base, a common feature of the spears used by the hylian army. The hylian soldier looked over the pair again. "What brings a pretty zora maiden like yourself with no more company than a roughneck like that one?"

"Roughneck?" Salin huffed irritably. "I'm not some two-green…" he added before the princess silenced him. She stood her full height, which was an inch taller than the guard. "My name is Princess Ruto," she introduced. "I am here to search for my husband, Cyrus Mhic Gleight. Have you seen a Trilby clansman pass by here recently?" The guard stood still for a moment and then burst into laughter. "Pwa ha ha ha! You are the zora princess and you only have one guard with you? Pardon me if I have a hard time believing that! But even better, if you _were_ the princess, why in the name of the goddesses would you marry a _highlander_?!"

The princess was flustered at the guard's derision. "Show some respect!" Salin growled. He cast an intimidating sight in his full armor and large weapon. Seeing this squelched the hylian's laughter, but some in the crowd were stopping to see the commotion. "What's it to you if she married a torch-head or not? We just want to know if you saw one. He stands a few inches taller than the princess," he slowed down on the title to emphasize her position. "He has a sword with a gold hilt and a shield that has a red rupee with a downward facing sword inside of it. Have- you- seen- him?" the zora guard asked, grinding his teeth into the now twice repeated question.

The hylian now appeared more serious and cleared his throat. "I don't keep track of everyone that walks by here, neither am I standing at this post all day long, sir. It sounds like you're looking for a mercenary, though. You ought to look to the camp to the south of here. That's where all that rabble gather," he suggested. Ruto had resumed her cool royal atmosphere and answered, "We have been there already. Thank you for your help mister…?"

"Ah, Krau. Corporal Krau." he answered hastily, standing attention. Ruto tilted her head slightly toward the hylian and entered the town, followed closely by Salin who was still looking darkly at the gate guard.

Once they entered, a wave of sound, sights, and smells crashed over the princess as a wave in the ocean breaks over a rock. Hylians of all ages and stations walked the somewhat crowded streets of Castle Town on their way with their business. Gaps were in the crowd around the gorons that frequented the city. Raggedy beggars looking for a handout lined the sides, most were given a wide berth as if their poverty were a virulent and contagious disease. Hundreds of voices overlapped each other, making it difficult to concentrate on one's thoughts. The loud voices of merchants drifted above it all from the nearby market, advertising their wares and occasionally arguing with an upset customer that thought he'd been rooked. Aromas of all kinds wafted on the air as well. The smell of freshly baked bread came from the bakery that rested just next to the south gate. Fragrant perfumes of flowers came from the florist stalls that were spaced irregularly down the street in between the beggars.

This cacophony of the senses made Ruto very uncomfortable. She was not in the least used to being in such a press as she was now. She was being jostled on all sides by passing crowds, and felt like someone made an attempt to steal one of her bracelets and couldn't slide it off her hand and kept moving. "Salin…" she quietly cried. The guard gruffly shoved aside a man to reach his princess, over his protests. "Here," he said smoothly and calmly. "Hold onto my arm and don't let go. Focus on your jewels and not on the bumping. If you keep sharp enough you can stop whoever's trying to rob you before they can get away."

"Thank you," Ruto answered breathlessly and gratefully looped her arm around Salin's, calming her mood. "See, you can be gentlemanly if you try," she said with a grin, which was returned in kind.

The crowd loosened once they entered the main square. Each thoroughfare in the cardinal directions branched off from here. People bustled to and from different parts of the city and many also stood and sat in the cobblestone park, enjoying the day. In the center of the square was a large fountain with a memorial carved to many different prominent figures on it. Patrons of the nearby cafe sat in the shade of the awning to watch the activity. The voices of a few merchants trying their luck in this part of town could be heard over the now low murmur of the overlapping voices of the populace. Even with all that was going on around them, eyes gravitated toward the two zoras, more particularly the princess.

"I feel I can at least breathe around here," Ruto sighed, letting go of Salin and drifting toward the fountain. She was feeling rather dry. "Keep on your guard, princess," Salin warned. "Princess?" he asked, looking around nervously until he heard faint splashing in the fountain.

Completely submerged in the waters of the fountain, Ruto passed a few contented breaths through the gills on her sides. She sat on the bottom of the fountain after clearing a small space in all of the blue and green rupees that many of the townspeople had tossed in. The noise outside was muffled by the water, still audible but not unbearable. Looking up she saw a child look into the pool, do a double take, and then wave someone over. The surface of the water was greatly disturbed and looking over, the princess saw Salin slide into the fountain beside her.

"Not exactly Zora's Domain, but it'll do," the guard chimed, his voice unaffected by the water. Just then a rough hand pulled Salin to his feet, followed by another dragging Ruto out of the fountain entirely. Ruto looked toward the child she saw looking into the fountain earlier, believing him to be the one that notified the guards. She dismissed that theory when she saw he was surrounded by his friends, gesturing wildly at the two zoras. "I told you! I told you they were in the fountain!" he could be heard shouting enthusiastically.

"No swimming in the fountain," growled a large hylian soldier in his gravelly voice to Salin.

"Yeah, people drink that water!" hissed another, shorter and more slender guard, this being the one that pulled Ruto from the fountain.

Salin forced himself from the grip of the larger guard and looked hard at him, unintimidated by the much larger size of the other. "Would you rather have a couple of zoras sun dried in the middle of the town square? Or would you care to be the one to explain to the king how the princess of the zora tribe and her guard-" he blustered.

The nasally voice of the smaller guard interrupted, "If she's the princess, how come she don't have an entourage?" he sneered. A crowd was beginning to gather. Salin and the guards were now becoming more heated.

"Silence!" Ruto barked, and to her surprise all around fell into a hush even though her status as princess was being debated. Both guards were held fast by Ruto's piercing midnight black eyed gaze. "I am indeed the zora princess," she began, feeling slightly nervous as if she were addressing the whole crowd and not just the two soldiers. "I am the only zora that has this shade of scales," she added, indicating her magenta tinged arms, legs, and head's fishtail. "Most zora are hued like my manservant-"

"Guard," Salin corrected testily.

"Watch your tongue, Sir! Do not speak out of line!" the princess snapped authoritatively.

Now addressing the hylian soldiers again, Ruto resumed her explanation. "And no other zora wears as fine jewelry as I do, I assure you this. As for my lack of entourage, I am not acting on behalf of my people at this time, so such fanfare is not required."

Interruptions from both sides were annoying the princess. This time the smaller guard cut in. "Not acting for your tribe, eh? Then what is your business here? You on holiday?" he said in his once again sneering voice. Salin shoved back the guards to stand between them and the princess. "You don't ask anyone else what their business in Castle Town is," Salin said coldly. "So you don't need to know ours."

"Wonderful control you have over your own guard princess!" shouted a sarcastic voice from the crowd.

"Who said that?!" Salin demanded, clenching his fists while whipping around to look in the direction of the voice. He started when the princess pulled him sharply towards herself by one of his head fins and hissed in warning, "You're not helping our position. Cool that hot blood of yours before you get us into more trouble."

"Apologies, my good men," Ruto continued, once again to the guards. "Our business is private, though not secret. We're searching for a certain highlander by the name of Cyrus. Have you seen any Trilby here of late?"

"I ain't seen no torch-head, have you, Dilon?" the small guard asked the larger. The larger one only made a deep rumbling noise. "See? No Triblies 'round here. Now, if you'd pay the fine for defiling the fountain…" he added cooly.

Salin's temper was rising, making Ruto's attempt to maintain as diplomatic situation as she could more difficult. "Alas, I don't carry rupees with me, however, whatever rupees there are in the fountain is surely enough…" she began. Raucous and harsh laughter of both soldiers interrupted her. This time the larger one spoke. "How does she expect us to believe she's a princess when she has no entourage and suggests that she go scrounging for rupees?" he rumbled jovially.

Ruto's mood was beginning to sour further with being mocked. She presumed now if she acted like how they thought a princess should rather than the polite figurehead she was raised to be… "I did not suggest that I do, I suggested that you do," she said in the even tone of royalty, which silenced the guards. "And furthermore," she added, placing her hands behind her back. "Your lack of respect for royalty is disturbing indeed. As princess of the zoras I have close connection with your king. Should he hear of this…"

The guards interrupted again with laughter. "What a nutter!" the smaller yapped. "We should chuck these two loonies in the stocks," he suggested, now much more serious. Both now approached the pair, shackles ready. Salin set his pike on the ground and pounded a fist into his other open hand. He was going to exact punishment for their insolence one way or another. Not in such a way that might end their lives, shedding their blood would be a diplomatic calamity, and we was not willing to instigate anything worse than a disaster. The princess, on the other hand, stood her ground with her air of authority.

"What's going on here?!" thundered a voice from outside the crowd. The masses parted and in stepped a hylian knight, clad in his full suit of brightly polished plate armor, complete with the royal crest of the hylia on his breastplate with the typical metal hylian shield on his arm. The newcomer stepped near his soldiers and repeated his initial demanding inquiry. "We caught these two swimmin' in the fountain," the shorter explained in a snivelling voice. "We was just going to put 'em in irons and take 'em to the stocks. They're loonies, sir. The pink one says she's the zora princess."

"Have some dignity, man," the knight reprimanded the soldier on account of his snivelling tone. "Are you a soldier of hyrule or some bulbin's lackey?"

The larger soldier now tried to bring attention back to the more pressing matter of the two zoran "loonies." The knight looked the pair over. Due to his station he easily recognized the princess for who she was, being part of the honor guard that awaited dignitaries such as the zoran royal family a number of times. The zora that caught more of his attention, however, was Salin. "Barracuda? Is that you?" he asked, approaching.

"How do you know me?" Salin asked, his anger turning to suspicion. The knight removed his helmet, revealing curly blond hair, deep brown eyes, a strong brow, and pronounced jawline. "Lord William!" Salin gasped. Casting a puzzled look at the pair, her guard explained to the princess that this knight had commanded a battalion of mercenaries that Salin was a part of long ago. "Yes, I learned just how you earned your mercenary nickname. You never did take orders well, but Din burn me if you didn't rout an entire platoon of bulbin raiders backed by moblins singlehandedly. You certainly earned your pay and stripes, both for rank and for whipping," the knight elaborated with a chuckle.

Turning himself toward the princess, the knight now addressed her. "If you'll forgive me, princess, I did not know you were coming to the castle today. If I had you would have had escorts and courtiers. But… why don't you have either from your own people save this one? And he's not even a regular guard, but a mercenary!"

"I must thank you for the defence of our honor, Sir William," Ruto began in her courtly voice. "We come here to search for my husband. You may know him. He is called Cyrus. Cyrus Laird's-heir of Gleight," she explained. Murmurs arose from the crowd when they heard this. What dignified princess would marry a barbarian clansman from the Trilby Highlands? It must have been by coercion. There could have been no other reason….

The masses were silenced by an uplifted hand from Lord William, yet his face was still dumbfounded. "Your husband is Cyrus of Gleight?" he asked, as if he hadn't heard the princess correctly. A grin broke wide over Salin's face. "Mmm-hmmm," he replied, just as the princess confirmed in a more stately manner.

"Definitely should be in the stocks," the two Hylian soldiers were heard whispering to each other. William turned and dismissed them with a wave and an impatient grunt. The pair of guards left without any further words to the zoras or the knight,still whispering to each other as the crowd parted to let them pass. "Princess Ruto," Lord William addressed, most of his words escaping him after the shock he had just experienced. "I know Cyrus well enough, about as well as I know Salin and I cannot say that I have not seen him in Castle Town for several months." He now bowed low. "But it would be my honor to aid you in your search. The zoras are a part of the Hylian League and I believe this matter to be important enough for you to receive our aid. The loss of a figurehead is a grave matter indeed. You shall have as many soldiers as we can spare for you," he offered humbly.

The proposition was indeed a very welcome one, but nonetheless, Ruto denied, "I thank you indeed, my good sir for your very generous offer, but I feel this search is a personal one and only I can handle it with the care required." Salin's eyes widened and his shoulders dropped at the refusal. "Ruto, you are needed back home! Let the hylians take it from here, along with our own soldiers and they will find Cyrus!" he blurted. The princess returned the protest with the impassive yet icy stare that only one of royal upbringing could muster. "I did not ask for your counsel, Salin. Cyrus is my husband and I have taken it upon myself to find him and persuade him to return if possible. You may leave my side if you wish and I shall continue the search alone, but continue it I shall," the princess retorted.

"As you wish princess," could be heard from two different men, Lord William with a polite acknowledgement of the refusal as well as from Salin who ground his teeth through it and emptied his gills. "I never should have let you leave Zora's Domain," the zoran guard added quietly with ice in his voice.

The crowd was dispersing now that the excitement was over, though a few were still discussing the marriage between a zora princess and a highlander. Lord William spoke to Ruto now as Salin went to retrieve his weapon which he left lying on the ground. "I am surprised that he even took your reprimand, princess." Salin now stormed toward the fountain and began to splash water on himself.

Ruto answered as she watched her guard, "He has a fiery temper as you have seen, however I believe that now he is no longer a mercenary his strong will has allied with his sense of duty, although grudgingly."

Stunned, Lord William looked to the princess. "You mean to say that Salin Bluescale, the Unchained Barracuda has become a regular?" he asked in shock.

"He has," Ruto replied. "In fact, he's one of our best soldiers, although perhaps not the most disciplined, from what our other officers have told me."

Salin returned, still wearing a hard expression. "Well, he's not here. I only know of one other place he would be. Let's get going," he said testily. Lord William cleared his throat. "You both must be weary from the road. May I offer my home to you for the day before you resume your journey?" the knight suggested politely. The zoran guard gave the princess a look to express that he knew her answer, but also that he knew it would only be barely tolerated. She was very anxious to reunite with her dear husband, but she did not know if she could stand sleeping outside again in a bedroll. She felt dirty, as well as many other things that she was not used to as a princess. She decided that living a pampered life for a night in the midst of the search-even if it would delay it slightly-would be welcome.

"I graciously accept your hospitality, Sir William," she confirmed, with a courtly smile. Huffing and rolling his eyes, Salin shouldered his polearm and gestured impatiently to Lord William to lead the way. It was not a boon to the zora's patience when William observed stately ritual, bowing to kiss the princess's hand and then offering his arm to lead her, which she accepted. The cold hardness of Lord William's plate armor contrasted with the comfort she felt of the guidance of this gentleman. Salin stalked closely behind, his demeanor lightening slightly from the promise of a well-cooked meal that would undoubtedly come with the knight's hospitality.

Though she lived in much greater grandeur, the princess was impressed by the knight's ornately decorated mansion in Castle Town's noble's district. A great staircase faced the main entryway and led to the upper floor. Doors and furniture were all skillfully carved dark hardwoods, all of which shined under many coats of polish. No dust could be seen anywhere in the house. The trim and moldings all about the grand entryway were expertly carved and painted as well. Tapestries and portraits lined the walls and suits of empty armor stood guard silently and still beside the doors that the three had just entered.

"It may not be what you are accustomed to, princess, but my home is yours," the knight said humbly as his butler entered the room. "Ah, Tarosh," he greeted. "These are Princess Ruto of the zoras and her personal guard, Sir Salin Bluescale. They will be our guests for the day. Please show them to their rooms and take care of any needs they may have. You treat them with the respect that any hylian royalty deserves. Understood?"

The butler was a slender figure of average height with a pointed chin and nose. His long hylian ears pointed out from beneath an immaculately set powdered wig. As most butlers of such station are, his posture was as straight as a rod and he looked down his nose on all around him-his master included. "Of course, my lord," he answered in a very level baritone. "This way please, sir and madam," he requested, gesturing toward the stairs with a white gloved hand.

Each Zora was shown to a lavishly decorated bedroom with four poster beds, lush carpet, silk sheets and curtains, and the same style of ornate furniture that was throughout the rest of the mansion. _Smells like old rupees_ , Salin thought to himself as he stepped onto the plush carpet with his flipper-like feet.

The butler fixed his half-lidded eyes upon the guests. "Supper will be held at five o'clock this evening. The library and grounds are open to you as well. Ring any of the bells found in each room should you need anything. Will you require anything further?" he asked in his same even tone.

Salin realized now that if he were to be in the position and rank he was among the zoras he must behave himself in a courtly manner as well. The thought disturbed him though he made the attempt anyway. "There is one thing, my good sir," he began, speaking the part so well that Ruto was stunned. "A zora needs to keep his or her skin and gills hydrated as any hylian needs to keep his throat. Where may we be able to… submerge ourselves should we need to?" Salin flinched inwardly at the awkward choice of words, but the butler didn't seem to care. _Then again,_ Salin considered. _His expression hadn't changed at all. I really can't tell._

"You shall find a well-kept swimming pool on the grounds behind the house," the butler explained simply.

"Thank you, Mister Tarosh," the princess acknowledged. "We have everything we need." The butler then bowed his head and left the two zoras to themselves.

"Salin…" Ruto opened hesitantly. "I didn't know you had it in you."

Her guard rolled his shoulders and sighed in relief. "If I did, I don't think I wanted it," he replied slowly. Then, stripping his armor and heading for the door he said, "I'm going to the pool. I haven't been in deep water for more than a few seconds for too long." Ruto nodded in affirmation and joined.

"Ouch!" Salin growled through clenched teeth. He had just hit his head on the side of the swimming pool.

Ruto gracefully floated up beside him. "Poor minnow. You know you can't swim like we can in the lake in this little pond." she chided. The guard quietly snarled, disliking very strongly the princess's condescending tone. The pool was a good size by hylian standards, but for the zoras it was nothing more than cramped. The sides and the water were free of filth and algae, at least. The zoras had seen why: two servants were scrubbing the pool with brushes when they entered. They were promptly driven off by a sharp look from Salin when he had first crashed into the side.

The guard pulled himself out of the pool, rubbing the newly formed lump on his head, not even acknowledging the princess's slight smile combined with concerned stare, a similar look that a parent gives a toddler that had just tripped and showed an expression of surprise prompted by the world suddenly rising up to hit them upside the head. She folded her arms on the edge of the pool and rested her chin on them. This was closer to how she was used to living, not grinding her way through the wilderness. A sigh began in her gills and escaped her nose, as contented a sigh as she could managed when she remembered that the man she loved most dearly had disappeared.

 _Why, Cyrus?_ she found herself thinking. Her conflicting feelings were rising within her. She felt hurt that Cyrus had left, but also comforted that he retained the Zora's Sapphire, the token of their affection. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts she reprimanded herself silently, _A monarch cannot be consumed by grief_. _It will destroy her, and thereby her people_. Her heart still ached and swallowing her feelings did not help.

Salin had returned now, rubbing some herb he had found on his sore head. "Where did you find that?" Ruto asked. "I didn't hear or see you go inside…"

The guard discarded the remainder of his remedy and cleaned off the dregs that still stuck to his wet head. "From his gardens." he tersely replied.

Moving her chin off her arms and putting her brow there, the princess huffed, "Salin, did you at least ask permission?" No answer came, and when Ruto raised her head to look at her guard who had just taken a seat on a lawn chair, marks left by her bracelets could be seen on her forehead.

Salin shook his head and grunted. "I don't think he'd miss a few leaves out of so many," he dismissed, indicating the vast gardens that made up the grounds of the mansion.

The princess began to chastise Salin over his lack of respect. He heard none of it, choosing instead to focus on the approaching butler, bearing a pair of fresh towels. "Pardon my interruption," he began once he had reached the pair. "Dinner is served," he announced, offering the towels to the zoras.

Both politely declined, explaining that they needed to stay moist. "We'll try not to drip," Salin said as he entered the mansion after shaking himself somewhat dry, followed by the disapproving raised eyebrow from Tarosh.

Princess Ruto winced within herself when Salin not only took his seat before Lord William, their host, but had slumped down into the most relaxed position he could. "Looks good," he commented on the vast spread before them. _Though maybe somewhat wasteful,_ he added mentally, wondering how the few people at the table were going to finish such a gradiouse meal. Meats of all kinds and cuts were amidst every variety of vegetable.

"All of the finest," Lord WIlliam said proudly when he noticed Salin's green eyes wandering all over the meal. "Enjoy," he added as the cook laid down the last plate of food and departed.

Lord William and Princess Ruto both took their seats in a stately manner, Ruto sat with her legs together, napkin spread over her thighs. She ate with the silverware as best as she could. The webbing in her hands made it difficult to manage the handles on the cutlery that were longer than those she usually used. Salin on the other hand, ate as he would in the mess tent. Expressions exchanged between himself and his princess reflected Ruto's disapproval and at the same time Salin's protest that he was doing his best. Lord William didn't seem to mind Salin's behavior, being a military man himself he was used to the behavior of soldiers and honestly found Salin's lack of restraint refreshing.

Ruto, however had to content herself that nobody was sitting near her travelling companion. Not only were his table manners atrocious as she found them, his elbows were rested on the table and thus his fins were spread far off to either side as well. Salin sat on his own on one side, while Lord William and Princess Ruto had their own edge of the table, with one side unoccupied.

"Salin, you must tell me what made you leave your mercenary career," Lord William requested to make conversation. Ruto prayed that Salin would swallow his food before answering. To her great relief, he did.

"You know how I work, William," Salin began. "I disobeyed an order on a job I took and almost got my unit killed. It just had to be under Colonel Stiff Tsobar that that happened," he said with a baleful sigh. "Most of the time when I 'become independent' as he put it, nothing really goes wrong. I'm no rogue, I assure you. I do what is best in the current situation. I'm not like some that just refute orders because they feel like it. Anyway," he paused to take a drink. It was some of the finest tasting milk he had ever drunk. "This time was different. Rather than just getting the tongue lashing I always get at the end of a job for insubordination, I was stripped of my status as a mercenary. I was well on my way to purple rank, too," Salin growled the last sentence.

Lord William nodded in understanding while Salin tore ferociously at a stubborn piece of chicken that wouldn't come off the bone. Ruto cringed. "And what happened after that?" Lord William persisted. Before the zoran guard could answer he had to cough up a morsel that was too big that caught in his throat. "Pardon me," he apologized, gulping it down again then resuming his narrative. "I don't really like to talk about that much. I just took odd jobs until I eventually decided to become a regular."

"You seem to have done quite well for yourself, to have advanced so quickly. It must have been… no more than a year since your last job for me, and even if you ended your mercenary career right then it would be quite a feat indeed to become captain of the guard like you are now in that span of time," the knight commended.

"Took me four months," Salin grunted through another mouthful. The zora's disgraceful table etiquette caused Ruto this time to whimper quietly.

"What was that, milady?" Lord William asked. "Pardon me. I was suppressing a sneeze," she lied while vowing to let Salin know of her displeasure at his manners later. _First he strikes me, then he disgraces himself, and by implication my whole people at the table of a hylian noble,_ she thought coldly.

Light conversation continued. At many points the magenta tint to Ruto's face flushed to the same shade as her forearms in embarrassment due to her guard's behavior. She tried to distract herself by asking the knight about the affairs in the kingdom. "Oh, just the usual," he began disdainfully. "Merchants are complaining to no end about bokoblin and bulbin raiders along the roads to and from Castle Town. Farmers are complaining that leevers are destroying their crops, and all the while the gerudos seem to be trying to cause trouble." It was no longer any secret that the gerudos were fortifying their fortress and appeared to be preparing for war, though they hadn't made and overly hostile action for several years.

"Surely there must be some good news?" Ruto asked hopefully, trying to distract the nobleman from the burden these issues seemed to be.

He leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment, mulling over the question. He let out a sharp breath. "The only really good things I can say is that most of the populace is rather content and that politically, the kingdom has been stable. Nobles aren't squabbling over paltry things like they usually do. The king has been in a good humor." Sir William then risked a small smile. "And I just had a beautiful dignitary from Zora's Domain grace my home and neither she nor her entourage complained about their trappings."

Ruto chuckled politely and genuinely and smiled herself. Her expression changed to revulsion when she heard Salin loudly break open a bulbo rib bone and suck out the marrow. "The best part, and your chef really cooked it right to make the marrow taste this good," he complimented.

"Thank you. Glad you like it," Lord William replied. The princess was slightly relieved that the nobleman wasn't bothered by her guard. All sat back now, fully satisfied. Servants promptly filed in to clear the table and place helpings of rice pudding before all three. Salin gulped his down within a few short minutes. "I don't think I've ever had anything that sweet before," Salin sighed contentedly.

When the others had finished their own portions, Lord William addressed his zoran guests. "I understand you must leave again tomorrow. It was an honor to have you in my home for a day, Princess Ruto. Salin. Please, if there is anything my estate can do for the zoras, do let me know," he said humbly with a tilt of the head as he rose from his chair. His guests arose as well.

"Could you give us…" Salin began but then stopped himself. Again he attempted the courtly manner that he felt was going to be expected of him more often. "I mean…" he said hesitatingly. Ruto waited expectantly. Once he had articulated his request, he made it. "Your offer is greatly appreciated, Lord William. It would be most expedient if you could supply us for the next leg of our journey. We would only need a few supplies as we travel next for the small village of Ordon; a journey that would likely only take half a day or so," Salin said in the level, though submissive tone of a servant of royalty. _By Nayru_ , he thought to himself. _I sound as stiff as a frozen reekfish._

Ruto sighed quietly in relief that Salin carefully chose his words and didn't cause her any further embarrassment. She found it easier to forgive Cyrus for his slight lapses in etiquette. This was due to the fact that as laird's-heir of his clan he had court training, though as a highlander there was much less of it since a laird was expected to show more prowess on the battlefield than in a meeting. Mostly, it was because she chose to overlook any faults of the one she loved. Salin, on the other hand,she wasn't as forgiving towards, primarily because he often was deliberately crass just to annoy her. _At least he tries_ _sometimes_ _,_ she mused internally.

Lord William's answer interrupted her thoughts. "Of course, my friends. Tarosh will have everything ready for you by daybreak. You may depart tomorrow at your leisure, but I ask that you at least notify me so that I may see you off."

"Thanks Will," Salin replied gratefully and informally, causing Ruto to wince. "Pardon me, but I need to make my own preparations for tomorrow," he added, casting a quick glance at the princess. _He's killing me and he knows it,_ she thought sourly while she watched the retreating figure of her guard.

"I must apologize for his rude behavior during dinner, Sir William," the princess said apologetically to her host.

The knight shook his head vigorously. "No apologies needed, milady. I cannot fault a man on living how he chooses. Unless he his blatantly insulting myself or those I hold dear, using foul language, or abusing my hospitality, there is absolutely no cause for offence," he proclaimed nobly. Ruto's eyes brightened. "Plus, Salin and I spent enough time working together that I can consider him a friend and would encourage him to be more relaxed in my home," William added.

"Will you join me in the sitting room, milady?" the Hylian noble requested stately as he offered a hand and gestured to the next room over. As she accepted his hand and followed, Ruto felt her being untense at the knowledge that what she saw as wanton behavior on Salin's part would not only be forgiven, but overlooked entirely, which thanks she voiced. "I am very glad that Salin did not offend you, my good sir. I assure you, if he had behaved so in the grand halls of the palace at Zora's Domain, he would have been severely reprimanded."

Now taking their seats, Ruto held her fins to her legs to sit down just as any Hylian lady would her dress. "If you do not mind my asking then, Sir William, if you are so forgiving towards Salin's lax behavior, why do you still behave in a proper manner?" she asked.

Surely enough, Lord William still was exhibiting his political form, sitting in his red velvet armchair with straight posture. "I suppose it is simply how I was taught to behave, princess. Especially around a lady. As a knight I am sworn to live a knight's code."

Ruto now crossed her legs. "But I still do not understand-" she began and for the first time since their meeting, Lord William breached etiquette and interrupted her.

"If you expect to live through a lifetime of nobility without becoming cold-hearted, you cannot afford to be offended at things that some past tied-in-a-knot royal decided arbitrarily were offensive," he explained decisively. "Who cares if someone ate with the wrong fork? Who cares if a man does not sit straight in his chair? Certainly most people have some affinity for those that act in a crisp way and do these things, but why be offended if they don't?" he then added.

Stunned, Ruto paused. "Wise words, Sir William," she eventually admitted. She still had a hard time with this advice. It wasn't as if she was taught to be offended by less-than noble action of those around her, but it bothered her simply because it was contrary to how she personally was raised. Suddenly she realized how hypocritical she had been for disobeying her own father, the king and being angry at Salin for being what she thought to be obnoxious.

 _I can't even live the way I am expected to_ , she thought bitterly. _No wonder Cyrus ran away from his life of royalty!_

"Is something the matter, princess?" the knight asked with concern when he saw Ruto's distress. Without hesitation she revealed the disdain she had now found for herself due to her newfound hypocrisy. Lord William cast a small smile.

"Who are you Ruto?" he bluntly asked.

"Sir William?" the princess replied, puzzled.

"What I mean, Princess Ruto, is how would you describe yourself? Are you really that delicate, courtly flower that you seem to think you should be?" he clarified.

Ruto was startled at this question and thought deeply. She knew that she would be the woman that the zoras would look to as a leader one day. Certainly, Cyrus would be by her side, but as a hylian he didn't carry the same influence with her people as she did. Since she and the highlander had married she had tried much harder to be more responsible, but even before then, was she being all that irresponsible other than leaving the palace once in awhile? She had always attended her studies, was polite to those around her, and behaved in the stately manner she was raised to-hadn't she?

Now she looked more to who she was as a person. Cyrus had always said that she was full of life and "bubbly as sea foam," whatever that meant. No matter who her station commanded her to be, she loved her people, she deeply considered the feelings of those around her. _A quality defunct in many of noble birth, isn't it?_ she thought to herself. Where did sense of compassion even come from, then? Perhaps it was while she was sneaking around she had seen the day-to-day life of her people. Perhaps it was that she felt restricted in her life of court and did not wish restraint upon her own people. _Father always said that love is the best quality of a ruler,_ she commented to her inner soliloquy.

"I…" the princess stammered. Lord William leaned forward slightly in eagerness. "I don't think I want to live the way I'm expected to," she said in realization. "It's not who I am. I can act the part when I wish, but I am not so sure now I can _be_ that person when the time comes. My father expects certain of me, my people even will expect the same disconnected manner that they think royals should have," she said woodenly.

Lord William now leaned forward more, his own stately manner seeming to melt away. "You don't have to change who you are Ruto!" he said profoundly. "Nobility is a mask, and nothing more. I feel that is something that has been long forgotten." Life seemed to flow into the man as he made his explanation. "You are still your own woman, but the princess is bound to you, not you to her. You have been living your nobility the right way. Show to your people that you can be that delicate and proper lilly that they expect, but let your true self shine through. Let them see that you are not a cold and distant zora beneath the statehood."

Ruto's spirits were lifting as she heard this; that she only had to behave in a courtly manner when appearing before her people, it did not have to be who she was at heart. The hylian smiled brightly. "It's how I've been able to endure this coil of nobility. I tell you, before I figured this out I was as easy to get along with as a stomach-sick dodongo!" For the first time, she heard Lord William laugh, a rich and joyful sound. It was hard to think that the noble and stern knight she had seen in the square could be capable of such. Contented relief flowed through the princess's body. _It's not a statue with a title that will rule the zoras one day, she will be a princess certainly, but more importantly, the princess will be a living, breathing, warm Ruto beneath the title_ , she thought.

"Only certain company truly has to see the princess, as they expect her to be. Now you know that you don't need to wear that mask for," Lord William chimed, interrupting her thoughts. "Can you imagine if the princess held dominion over your spirit around your Cyrus?" The very thought made Ruto's blood chill, but then she wondered how Cyrus would react if she acted like a cold royal after having acted like a clingy, lovesick little girl like she had when they first met. The thought made her laugh, a crystalline, pure, wonderful, and contagious sound that caused Lord William's heart to sway.

For the rest of the evening until night, the two spoke with each other, letting their true natures show and becoming great friends. When the clock struck ten, however, Ruto excused herself to go to bed. In parting Ruto said to Lord William, "Thank you so much, Lord William. It was a pleasure."

 **"** **The pleasure was mine, princess," William replied, kissing the princess's hand and leading her to her room.**


	4. Chapter 4

Both Zoras arose the next morning shortly after daybreak, awoken by the crowing of a cuccoo, a sound that both were unused to. _Awful screeching,_ Salin thought bitterly as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and lay in bed for several minutes. A knock sounded at the door, but the zora did nothing more to acknowledge it with a loud "Mmf."

Evidently, whoever was on the other side of the door didn't hear him. "What?" Salin groaned after another more persistent knock. The voice on the other side belonged to Tarosh.

"Pardon me sir, but Master William wonders if you will be breakfasting with himself and the princess this morning," he inquired. Grumbling into his pillow, Salin eventually arose and groggily hobbled to the door while pinning on his head-fin rings. Tarosh was still there, waiting for him, standing still. The zora stared at him with his tired, half-lidded eyes. "Well?" he grunted testily.

A look of minor offended shock flashed on the butler's face as he began to lead Salin to breakfast. The zora had been in the military for much of his life so he was used to early mornings, but to him the bed felt "too soft," and he was unable to sleep comfortably on it. He told this to the butler in as polite terms as he could muster in his condition after the servant had inquired of his night's sleep.

"'Tis a shame, sir. I am sorry we were unable to provide for your wants," Tarosh apologized in his stiff way when they had reached to dining room. _Translation: sorry we're not low enough for you,_ Salin grumbled internally. Lord William and Princess Ruto were both seated at the table, neither having eaten anything yet. Salin slumped blearily into his chair and heaped the foods of his choice on his plate without invitation. The spread was just as excessive as the night before.

"G'morning," Salin mumbled, taking a mouthful. The nobleman and princess began to request their desired portions of William's wait staff while the zoran guard slowly gained his senses. He noticed the change in the princess from last night and commented on it. "You seem awfully cheerful this morning," he murmured just barely loud enough to let Ruto know he was speaking to her.

A wide smile crawled over Ruto's face. "I suppose you could say I… learned what it means to be a princess," she said chipperly, looking toward Lord William who smiled back.

Salin looked at her with perplexity mixed with tired stupor. "What did you two do last night?" he asked with some suspicion.

The princess blushed when she realized what Salin must have thought she sounded like. "I meant that Lord William taught me that I can own my office, but my office does not need to own me."

Lord William cleared his throat to resurrect the conversation after a pause. "Salin, I had your weapon and armor repaired and polished last night. I must say that is quite a polearm you have. How do even cope with the unbalanced weight of it?" he asked. Cyrus once commented to Salin that the polearm looked like a member of the halberd family with a parent being the illegitimate child of another halberd and a trident. Salin was quite proud of this weapon, which he had designed himself.

"The weight takes some getting used to, but it becomes one of its greatest advantages," the guard began explaining, wakefulness rising in his voice. "When I swing that thing, the heavy head combined with the extra force from being on such a long pole is enough to wreck even the heaviest plate armors." For emphasis he swung his own hand in an arc, nearly toppling his glass over. "I even remember one time that I had three moblins coming at me at once. They thought they had me, but I swung the Reaper (that's what I named it) and she clove through the first…"

"Salin, that may not be the best subject for mealtime conversation," Ruto interrupted.

"Sorry, princess," Salin apologized insincerely, taking another bite. "Weren't you there for that, Will, or was that a different time?"

Lord William pondered a moment with a spoonful of porridge halfway between his bowl and mouth. "I do not believe so. We have only worked together a few times and I think I would remember something like that." Salin shrugged in response and continued his meal.

Ruto had asked the hylian noble the night before why (if he was encouraging the princess to be herself and not necessarily need to maintain her courtly manner around all company) he did not do so himself. His response to that question was that he had discovered that piece of wisdom too late in life and his "nobility side" had become more of a part of him than it had with the princess.

Following a few more bites and conversation he didn't follow, Salin began to doze in his seat. He was awakened by Lord William asking him if he was alright. "'Mfine." he grunted, dragging a hand over his face. "Have you ever been so comfortable you were uncomfortable?" slurred. Both of those of noble upbringing in the room looked at him with puzzled expressions. "I'm just so used to sleeping on a bedroll or on a cot that I feel like I'm suffocating in a real mattress," Salin explained.

Even after knowing how relaxed Lord William really was, Princess Ruto was slightly alarmed at the suggestion her guard made to their generous host that their accommodations were inadequate. "I could have let you sleep in the gardens in the rose bushes," Lord William replied coldly. "I try so hard and nothing is good enough for you, Barracuda."

Ruto's fins tensed in nervousness. She looked at Salin anxiously and hoped that he would apologize. Lord William seemed gravely offended to her. The guard's head pitched forward suddenly and he fortunately jolted himself upright before he landed face first on his plate.

"Don't joke with me, it's too early," he said groggily.

"Wet blanket," the knight grunted jestingly, then broke into laughter. Ruto joined in nervously more out of relief than mirth. The princess thought that Lord William was lightening up a good deal since they had first arrived at his home.

Just then the butler glided into the room. "Master William, there is someone at the door to see you," he said evenly. The hylian knight quickly dabbed his mouth clean on his napkin.

"Who was it?" he asked, rising from the table.

"They would not tell me sir. They only insisted they see you," Tarosh replied. The nobleman made sure that his longsword was belted to his side.

"I don't trust this kind of thing early in the morning," he said as he left to the door. Salin had a slight view of the main entry from where he was sitting. The zora began to wake very quickly as he watched the exchange. He could make out Lord William wearing his expensive day clothes speaking with someone at the door, too far away from him to hear. The conversation appeared to become more heated and eventually ended with the knight reaching for his sword and then bellowing, "She is not here! Begone!" before slamming the door shut.

The knight flowed into the room, standing tall and very serious. "You and Salin must leave. Now," he urged. "I do not know who was at the door, but they were asking for you, Ruto. What makes me suspicious of them is that they were not the sort of hylians that would have anything to do with you. Such people I do not expect would have any sort of legitimate business with the two of you."

At the call of duty, Salin was now fully awake. "I need my armor," he ordered tersely. At a sign from the nobleman, Tarosh led the guard to the storeroom where his things were being kept.

The princess stood and asked in a level tone "Sir William, why the alarm? Did they refuse to leave?"

The knight looked over to her, face still set. "As insistent as they were that you are here right now, I do not expect them to give up so easily. Especially as rough as they looked."

Ruto still was not as getting the same sense of danger as her host seemed to be. "What could possibly happen?" she reasoned. "We are in Castle Town. The Noble District, even. No ill will befall us here. Even if there were a mob outside they would be dispersed within minutes by the town guard."

Lord William appeared to relax slightly. "You may be right princess, but I am still wary of this situation," he answered.

Going toward the window facing the street, Ruto looked out for a moment. "I do not see any sign of unsavory sorts out there," she assured smoothly. Then her heart chilled slightly. "I don't see anyone out there. Are the streets usually completely deserted, even at this time of morning?" The knight was on alert once again. By this time, Salin came clanking into the room wearing his full set of armor, as well as bearing a pack.

"Salin… Ruto…" Lord William began. "Something is afoot here. I do not know what, but I need to get you out of the city. Come with me," he ordered, leaving for the back door. "I don't trust the roads right now. We can cross over three other yards to get to the southern thoroughfare and from thence you can leave for Ordon. Are you sure Cyrus is there?" he asked after his instruction.

Salin shook his head in response. "It's the last place we think he might be. It's the best we have."

Outside, the knight and princess vaulted effortlessly over the fence into the next yard over. Salin struggled to get over because of his armor. "Careful, the next one over has dogs," the knight cautioned as the three sprinted to the next fence. Ruto looked nervously toward the house to see if anyone had seen them. To her relief, all the windows appeared to be shuttered.

Surely enough, even as Lord William had said, two powerful, large, and angry hounds began barking at the three while they clambered over the fence. Perched atop the fence Ruto moaned, "How do we get past them?" Few dogs were to be found in Zora's Domain and they as such made her nervous. This feeling was exacerbated by the fact that these animals appeared to want to tear all of her limbs off, barking furiously and foaming slightly at the mouth.

Salin calculated quickly. "Princess, Will, you two are the most agile. See if you can wrestle them to the ground and then I'll knock them out while you have them held," he ordered.

The hylian saw the nervous expression on the princess and suggested an alternative. "You can move well enough if you drop that bulky fire poker of yours. I will not allow a lady to-" he began to protest as Ruto, steeling herself and not hearing anything past Salin's plan, leapt onto one of the baying hounds. The two men were atop the fence, stunned for an instant by the sudden reaction of the princess.

Ruto had landed so well on the first dog that his legs buckled beneath him and he fell to the ground with a yelp. The unexpected move caused the other dog to flinch backwards, allowing the princess enough time to slip one of her bracelets over the dog's mouth she had landed on. The other two had now joined, Lord William and Salin together managed to wrestle down the last dog, who was making awful noises in protest. A well placed punch to the head from the zora silenced the dog. He then leapt over to the princess who was still holding down the other and did the same to the other vicious canine.

Sighing in relief, the princess gratefully took Salin's hand and leaned on him for a moment to regain her composure. She was trained for combat, but a relatively little experience had not numbed her enough to it where she could leave a conflict without needing to regroup. At William's urging, Ruto reclaimed her bracelet from the hound's maw. She looked at it in disgust at it while running to the other fence. The dog's saliva had gotten on the inside rim of it. She took advantage of the brief lack of attention from the others that she cleaned it off the best she could on the bushes and slipped it back on.

Instinctively as they were climbing over the fence, Ruto looked to this house as well. Just like the first, the windows were obscured by shutters. Uneasiness grew within her as she saw the last house over the fence was as well. "Do your neighbors usually close their windows on a nice morning like this?" she asked Lord William.

The knight's face began to pale. "No, they do not, princess. Be wary," he answered, uneasiness growing within himself as well.

Presently all three had hopped the last fence and were now in the cobblestone southern thoroughfare of Castle Town. _How unladylike of me to jump fences,_ Ruto thought to herself jokingly. Her blood froze almost immediately when she noticed that the usually crowded city street was empty. Lord William unsheathed his longsword and Salin readied his polearm.

"Keep on guard," Lord William warned, beginning to move toward the open south gate of the city. There weren't even any guards at their posts. Out of the corner of his eye, Salin saw someone peer at them out of a shop window and draw the curtain.

A loud clatter then sounded from behind the three as some men pushed carts to block the passage behind them. Another similar similar rumble came from in front as their path through the gate was now obstructed as well. Out of shops and alleys flooded about twenty or so soldiers. "Mercenaries," Salin growled, noting that most had either green or blue rupees on their shields, although he did see two with yellow rupees.

At their head was a rider dressed in heavy plate armor armed with a lance atop a beautiful white horse. He had the emblem of an orange rupee on his breastplate, which was polished to a mirror sheen. He lifted the visor of his helmet and examined the three.

"Tsobar!" Salin barked. "What in the name of Farore are you doing here with a company? You couldn't win the princess's heart before and now you want to claim it by force?" he sneered.

"Silence, dog!" Tsobar boomed with authority. Then his voice smoothed as he addressed the princess. "Milady, these men you see here are not a strike force, but an escort. I have been hired to return you to Zora's Domain immediately."

"By whose order?" the princess asked suspiciously. She knew it couldn't have been her father that hired these men; he had never in the princess's lifetime contracted mercenaries to search for her when she had snuck out of the palace. In fact zoras in general very, very rarely hired mercenaries, so she couldn't fathom who may have ordered these men.

"That I cannot say, my dear," Tsobar replied in the haughty tone of one wishing to appear to be of high birth. "All I can say is that someone concerned with your welfare has requested us to return you to your home. Your people need you."

"Hah!" Salin barked out. "You seem to have enough 'concern for her welfare' to drag her back home as a limp corpse!"

Now Lord William broke his silence. "Tsobar. You are an honorable man," he began. Salin snorted derisively. Ignoring the zora, he continued. "I feel that the princess at least deserves to know who it is that wishes her escorted by a company of mercenaries."

Tsobar once again refused to divulge this information. "Then," Lord William added. "At least tell us how you imposed a curfew on the city." The rest of the mercenaries were now shuffling impatiently, their armors off all weights and classes rattling with their movement.

"By royal decree," the head mercenary replied tersely.

"Royal decree?!" Ruto exclaimed. "My own people would not freeze a city if you were doing this for a different royal. Not even the if King of Hyrule himself were expected to be among our people. Pardon me if I do not come willingly, Sir Tsobar, in these unusual circumstances," she refuted with a warning tone, hardening her fins.

"Indeed," Lord William added to support the princess. "Ordinarily I would agree, and that the princess should return to her people as soon as possible, however," he quickly added to deflect a disapproving and betrayed glare from the zoras. "Due to the fact that you will not reveal to us who has sent you and that you have frightened the citizenry to such an extent to have them all curfewed makes me suspicious as well. I question whether the princess will be going to Zora's Domain at all."

Tsobar now puffed impatiently. "It does not matter what your misgivings are, sir. We have a contract and it will be carried out! Come with us, princess and you will not be harmed, neither will your servant."

"Guard!" Salin snarled with indignity. He clenched his fist and started toward Tsobar, only stopped by a restraining, "Hold!" from Sir William.

"I appeal to your sense of reason, Tsobar. May I see the decree?" the nobleman requested, sheathing his longsword and approaching the rider.

From out of his armor the mercenary proffered a small roll of parchment. As William examined it, he saw that it did indeed bear an authentic royal seal and if the signature was a forgery it was a very good one. The document gave permission for these mercenaries, twenty one in all, to restrict access to certain parts of the city for their purposes. But it was who had signed the decree that aroused suspicion. He returned the document and took his place once again by the princess.

Mercenaries all around were now voicing their impatience. It was only the higher ranking yellow marked soldiers that held them still. "Princess, my suspicions deepen," Lord William said in a whisper that only she and Salin could hear. "That decree was signed by Prince Nerusson, who is only aged five years old. They must have taken advantage of the child's naivete to get permission to do this. These men are up to no good. Their contract may take you to Zora's Domain, but my suspicions say that you will end your journey elsewhere if you go with them."

The princess grew pale. "How do we escape? They have twenty men and we are only three. Even if you could raise some soldiers under your command they would not be able to get here soon enough," she whispered back in despair. To the chagrin of both, they saw Salin approaching the head mercenary.

"Tsobar!" the guard began in a commanding tone. "We find your motives and your methods both suspicious. The princess will not return to Zora's Domain with you. She will remain in my capable hands until her purposes are accomplished."

The mercenaries all laughed at him, but he stood his ground and seemed unabashed.

"If you had done _your_ job and kept the princess where she was supposed to be, none of us would be here right now, would we?" jeered a yellow ranked mercenary. "And shouldn't you be siding with us to get her back?" he added.

A line of logic was coalescing in Salin's mind that made the purpose of the mercenaries seem even less reputable. "She searches for the Prince Cyrus. I doubt that whoever hired you out to find the princess has assigned you to discover Cyrus as well. If so, you would be ordering the princess to travel with you as you searched for him and then returned to Zora's Domain," Salin said, voicing these thoughts. "Who… hired… you?" he requested once more, biting his teeth into each word.

Lord William and Princess Ruto could only watch, stunned. Snarling, Salin rescinded his question. "Never mind. You won't tell me anyway. Stand aside and let us pass," he demanded. All the mercenaries started forward, weapons flashing.

Reluctantly they held when Tsobar raised his gloved hand. "You are in no position to make that demand, ye churl!" the head mercenary roared angrily. "We will take the princess over your rotting corpse, if we must!" Tsobar then waved his hand forward and all the mercenaries surged toward the three.

All three hearts sank as the mercenaries thundered forward. "Duck!" Salin shouted as he began to swing his weapon in a circle with amazing strength brought about by fear and rage. Most of the mercenaries checked their charge. Four green ranked mercenaries were knocked back, gravely wounded by the whirling weapon. Their companions were more careful. A few armed with lances thrust at Salin when they could only to have their own weapons were knocked away when the polearm came their way in its arc.

Soon, though, Salin's strength was depleted. He pointed his weapon toward the nearest soldier, who was armed with a scimitar. She seemed to be a blue-ranked Gerudo. "Now I really don't trust you, Tsobar," he huffed quietly, thrusting forward to keep his opponent back. In the corners of his vision he could see two other soldiers approaching him.

Lord William was calculating his fight as best as he could. Four mercenaries were approaching him, three with swords, one with a mace. He held his longsword in a two-handed grip and planted his feet firmly while angling himself toward the rightmost mercenary. The knight cursed that he was unarmored when facing so many opponents and targeted the mercenary that he did because he intended to steal his shield.

Growing nervous, Ruto hardened her fins and dropped into a defensive position. Her agility would be her greatest advantage, having no armor or weapon other than her fins. Thankfully, most of the soldiers drawing near the princess were armored either partially or with a light enough armor her fins could pierce. Tsobar had focused the brunt of his assault on her, since she was the one that they had been hired to retrieve. Ruto knew this and was readying herself to fight with a ferocity she may never have called forth before. Her thoughts were broken, however, when she saw the pronounced nose, large green eyes, and head fins on a pike-armed mercenary. He was a zora! Attempting to kidnap his own princess!

She quickly had to refocus her attention to the fight at hand, for two mercenaries were coming forward, these with clubs. They were not intending to shed her blood, only to knock her unconscious. The princess smiled with relief when she realized their restraint would make her fight much easier. She only prayed that what Cyrus had told her about even the worst mercenaries fighting better than most regular troops was born out of hubris and not fact.

Ruto lunged forward at Tsobar's horse, slashing its legs with her fins. A horrendous scream tore from the animal's mouth as it toppled over, spilling a surprised Tsobar on the cobblestones and knocking over two soldiers next to him. Two club-armed soldiers closed to a distance where they could reach the princess. As one swung downward, she deflected the blow and then uppercut the man in the jaw, knocking him senseless for a moment. The other raised shield and approached more cautiously. When he made a move, the princess swung a fin at the elbow joint in his armor, causing him to drop his club and wail in pain, at which point she grabbed the top of his shield, threw her weight backwards and then rolled the man off her feet when her back rolled on the hard pavement. The soldier fell behind the princess and landed on another mercenary.

Salin's fight wasn't faring as well as the princess's. Those fighting him were not going to restrain themselves and fought with full force. He jabbed toward the one armed with a mace, who battered the polearm aside easily, but the Zora intended to use this to his advantage. He added his own momentum, making the deflection a swing and dispatched a plate-armored blue rank to the side of the deflection. About to thrust at another who was focused on the princess, he checked his attack when he saw that he was a zora. He was just as stunned as Ruto when she had seen him. Through trying to defend himself he spoke in zoran to the mercenary. Unfortunately he was unheard entirely. Amid his distraction, another mercenary grabbed Salin's arms from behind and quickly pinned him down.

A longsword hacked desperately at four other mercenaries approaching the hylian knight. Under such oppressive odds, he was gradually losing ground. Howling in fury, Lord William brought down his sword full force on the nearest mercenary. The blow clove the man's helmet in two and ended his life. Slightly stunned, the inexperienced green ranks faltered, giving the knight a brief edge. William thrust his sword into the unprotected leg of one of the mercenaries then ended the pained man as he slid the shield off of an arm that could not offer resistance enough to retain it.

A tight ring of mercenaries that included Tsobar circled around the princess. She screamed with the terror of a trapped animal as she barrelled into a lightly armored soldier, placing a wild slash of her fins on the man's throat. Hopping over the crumpled body, Ruto found Salin pinned on the ground, and as she was going to liberate him, two more mercenaries stood before her and obstructed her path.

 _Somewhere far away, Cyrus felt the Zora's Sapphire that hung from his neck grow cold on his chest. Removing it from his shirt and studying it, he saw it pulse with a feverish blue light. A feeling entered his heart that his beloved wife was in danger. Praying to the gods for her welfare he returned the artifact beneath his shirt, conscious of how it felt against his skin._

Roaring in fury and protest, Salin tried desperately to extricate himself from whoever had pinned him, but the other man had too secure of a grip on him. Then he noticed it wasn't even a man that had pinned him, but it was the Gerudo he had seen earlier. Swishing his head's fishtail back and forth in an attempt to hit the Gerudo and have her release him, he saw Ruto and Lord William both struggling in their fights. _We can't fight our way through here, we have to escape! But how?_ he thought desperately. He noticed that Tsobar's horse was down, so that would make their flight easier if all of their pursuers were on foot.

"Give me one good reason why I oughtta let you live," the Gerudo sneered quietly into Salin's ear. The zora's hairless brow furrowed. _She sounds like a villain from a children's story. She must be new to this…_ he thought, considering quickly how he could use this perceived inexperience to his advantage. "Hey," he whispered. "If the princess gets away you won't get paid. Look, she's the only one still standing and she's making her way toward the carts."

"Nice try, fishy," the Gerudo hissed. "Say goodbye." Just then, Princess Ruto had flowed around the two heavily armored mercenaries and tackled the Gerudo on Salin's back.

"Goodbye," he said in relief and surprise, reclaiming his polearm and standing up to face the two mercenaries that had separated him from the princess a moment before. They were in his reach, but he was not within theirs yet. Dropping their clubs, they drew their maces which would be more effective against the zora's armor. Bellowing ferociously, Salin swung his weapon in a devastating blow, killing one of the mercenaries instantly, breaking through his armor. Unfortunately, the polearm was lodged in the shear it made in the plate cuirass. Cursing, the zora let go of his favored weapon and grabbed the Gerudo's scimitar which she had dropped when tackled.

The shield offered Lord William a fair advantage, though it allowed him less control over his long blade. Slowly the knight was backing up while making quick jabs with his sword, using a defensive strategy. Soon, though, his back hit a solid object that he knew was not a wall. Searing pain ran through his being as a sword owned by the mercenary behind him pierced through the center of his body. A howl of enraged agony rent the air, and within seconds, Lord William realized it was his own voice. Groaning now, he fell to the ground wetting the cobblestone beneath him with his lifeblood while the mercenary that landed the blow stepped on him to join the rest of his comrades.

Ruto heard the scream and the color drained from her face. A daze swept over her as she saw this man that she had come so close to, become such good friends with just the night before lay dying before her. She was barely even conscious of the hands that grabbed her and pushed her to the ground, tied her hands together, and tied her fins to her arms. Within Ruto's shocked black eyes tears began to flow.

The princess's guard was furious at the death of one of their number. His newly claimed scimitar ended the lives of two other mercenaries, but when he found himself completely surrounded by lance armed warriors, he swore heinously in zoran, threw the scimitar randomly, then knelt on the ground, hands behind his head.

"Good show, men," Tsobar lauded, walking over toward his captives. "The blood of many men rests on your hands, princess. And that of a hylian noble on your behalf. If you had come willingly, this unnecessary bloodshed would not have happened. Is this what you wanted?" This statement pierced the princess's heart even further. She blankly stared at the head mercenary while she felt her head lighten and her vision narrowed. Her attention was brought back, however, when a piercing shriek rended the air.

"Murderers!" a woman's voice rang out. "Murderers! They killed Lord William!"

Shutters and doors slammed open all around the street. Within a minute, angry looking townsfolk armed with swords, pieces of firewood, kitchen knives, and anything else that could be used as a weapon. "You said nobody would get hurt!" a man said angrily to Tsobar. "Deal's off! You get out of town or we'll drag you out!" Shouts of assent were heard through the crowd.

"I told you that you can't trust mercenaries," one said to his friend.

Tsobar answered the growing mob in a calm voice. "We will vacate the city, my good people, but first allow us to take the princess with us…"

"You won't lay a finger on those zoras!" the apparent head of the mob roared. "You broke your promise that blood would not be spilled on our streets, and now I'm beginning to wonder if you were really planning on taking these back to Zora's Domain if you were willing to murder a hylian nobleman for it!" Again, the fuming crowd agreed. "And you," the man said with a leer, pointing to the mercenary the killed Lord William. "You're going to pay for what you did. Take him to the guard!" he ordered. Five men from the crowd promptly filed out and half-dragged-half led the writhing mercenary north toward the castle amid protests from his comrades that were quickly silenced by threats from the mob that outnumbered them at least four to one now.

Again in a calm voice, hoping to defuse the situation, Tsobar addressed the mob again. "We killed one of theirs, yet you show no concern over the slain of my own company. Why?"

"Because you said that they might offer resistance. Since you didn't specify if they would unto bloodshed, we let it go," he growled. "You have two minutes to move those carts and get out of this city as if King Dodongo himself were chasing you. Understood?" he blustered. Tsobar offered no further resistance and vacated the area with his company in the allotted time, glaring at Princess Ruto as he did.

The princess was leaning against a wall, breathing deeply, trying to recover as she often did after combat. She cast a terrible sight with her pallid expression and bloodied fins. Salin approached and lent his princess an arm, which she graciously took. "Are you two alright?" a member of the now dissipating horde asked with deep concern.

"Yes, we're fine," Salin replied testily. "Though it didn't help that you let that piece of guay gunk detain us. And by the way, why did you not haul all of these mercs to the guard?"

The other's face grew forlorn. "Deepest apologies, sir. We allowed them to do so for a few reasons, if you'd let me explain."

Salin embraced the princess protectively, who was regaining some of her composure. "If any of those reasons involve rupees, I don't want to hear it," the guard answered coldly.

The townsman shook his head vehemently. "Certainly not! We let him do what he did because he made a good case that the princess should be back with her people and swore to us that his forces would simply overwhelm you if you resisted and escort you back home unscathed. They swore to us nobody would die," he defended.

"And if it was the princess or me that was killed would you have done the same thing?" Salin snarled. The princess leaned off of her guard.

"Salin," she reprimanded breathlessly. "They came to our aid nonetheless. We should be grateful!"

The guard was silenced and reclaimed his weapon in a huff. While he worked on cleaning himself and his weapon, Ruto returned her attention to the citizen. She removed one of her golden chained necklaces. The jewelry had sapphires at regular intervals along the chain with a pendant in the shape of a golden triangle with the emblem of the Zora's Sapphire in the center. Placing the expensive ornament in the man's hand, she said stately, "Take this to remember this day, and also that the zora people will not forget your valor on my behalf. What is your name, good citizen?"

The stunned man accepted the jewelry with a trembling hand and bowed low. The princess patiently as the man rose and stammered "M… m… my name… is Srikof, p-p-p-princess. Thank you ever so much!"

"No, it is you who should be thanked, Sir Srikof. We certainly would have met with a terrible fate had you not intervened," she countered while she wiped her fins clean. Then she graced Srikof with a rare sight. Ruto bowed to the man, slightly splaying her arms and flaring out all of her fins. The display was truly majestic. " _Jabun sau thunalai_ ," Jabun watch over you, she added gracefully. Still rattled that a princess would laud such attention on a lowly commoner such as himself, and one as beautiful as Princess Ruto at that, Srikof tipped his hat in humility and walked away on shaky legs.

Salin rejoined the princess momentarily. "I wouldn't be surprised if he went to the nearest pawnbroker and sold that thing," he said bitterly.

"Cyrus didn't sell the jewel I gave him, and from the way Srikof was acting I don't think he would, either," the princess answered in a level tone.

In answer, Salin snorted derisively. "You gonna marry that one, too?" he murmured. Ruto whirled around to face him, causing her head's fishtail and fins to swing.

She fixed a burning gaze on her guard that even Salin would feel to pierce his soul. "Salin, I may have acted like a lovesick child when I met Cyrus, but it wasn't just because I was in such a phase that I gave my beloved the Zora's Sapphire. I felt… something when he saved my life, something I only feel with him. I love him, Bluescale. Even so, just because I give a jewel to a man does not mean I have romantic feelings for him!" she thundered.

 **"** **Sensitive one, aren't you?" the guard answered quietly once the princess had turned away. Turning slightly to face him and wearing a blank expression, Ruto ordered tersely "Let's get moving to Ordon."**


	5. Chapter 5

Neither zora said anything until they had entered Faron Woods-a long time to walk in silence. The forest echoed with the sounds of insects and woodland creatures, benign and hostile both. "Keep on your guard princess," Salin advised, his eyes shifting through his surroundings. The princess was hearing many noises that she hadn't before, and in such unfamiliar territory it made her uneasy.

A few tentative steps further and a deku baba sprung out of the ground, licking its chops. Though eyeless, the toxic purple bulb atop the articulating vine knew how to aim itself toward the pair, drooling a foul liquid and hanging its putrid yellow tongue from its mouth. Ruto screamed in surprise while Salin swung his polearm and severed the vine, causing the bulb to fall lifeless to the ground.

"Wh-wh-what was that?" the princess stammered hysterically. "Even the plants here have teeth!" She squeaked in terror once again when a keese flew past her head.

Reacting quickly, the guard slashed the impish bat with his fin and grabbed the princess. "Calm yourself, princess. Nothing here will be any worse than those mercs," he soothed.

The princess ceased trembling almost instantaneously, but looking around she still felt horrendously lost. "Where are we going?" she asked in the level royal's tone to conceal her true fear.

"All I know is that Ordon lies to the south of here, but how we get there I couldn't say," he admitted.

Most of the princess's muscles tensed. "How can we even tell which way south _is_ in here?" she demanded hysterically. "I don't want to be eaten by some hideous fiend in here, Salin! Where are we going?!"

"Where's my Ruto, zora?" Salin barked, giving the princess a slight shake. "You're braver than this! All this is is a few trees and beasts wandering around. Most of them are interested in each other, not us. Ordon isn't far from here. I may not know the way exactly but this forest is surrounded by cliffs on either side. Whichever way we travel we'll either hit a wall or end up back in Hyrule Field or in Ordon," he said, now in a commanding voice as he tried to force down the princess's emotions.

Ruto had never felt as lost and surrounded by unknown evils as she had in her life. Certainly the encounter with the mercenaries had frightened her, but she knew what she was facing then. Here, so many unknowns were bearing down on her that she could hardly contain her terror.

"Danger is danger, princess, no matter what face it wears. You should not fear one thing more than another," Salin offered for further encouragement with little effect.

"I've never felt so afraid," Ruto admitted. "I don't think I've ever really felt… lost before. I know for a fighting man like yourself that might be as foreign as a concept as drowning is for our people…" She chattered like this for several minutes to calm her fears, drowning out some of the strange noises with her own voice.

In the midst of this, Salin was trying several different tactics to calm his lady's fears. He tried identifying the little bits of flora and fauna that he knew. He tried letting the princess hold onto his weapon. He even tried to start a trail song, but none of these worked. To his relief, however, Ruto's breathing eventually smoothed.

"Nothing has happened to us since we came in here. I-I-I think we'll be fine…" the princess breathed with some relief. Salin drew a thankful sigh as well. He felt lost here, too, but he was not nearly as afraid as the princess, though her fears were setting him on edge nonetheless. All of their peace was shattered, however when something swung down from a branch right in front of Ruto's face. Screaming, she fell on her back. Once Salin recovered from his shock he ordered the princess, "Keep a good hold on your jewels, Ruto."

What had swung to face Ruto was one of the many monkeys of Faron woods. Small, furry, and with feral though not malicious eyes he looked with tilted head toward the two zoras in deep curiosity. He'd never seen something as strange as these creatures before. The feeling was shared by the zoras as well. Both had heard of monkeys from Cyrus, but neither had seen one. Salin thought the fact that they had pointed ears like a hylian was especially strange. _If hylians have long ears to hear the gods, why then would these monkeys have those ears?_ he wondered, keeping a suspicious eye on the newcomer.

Expertly falling from the branch onto his four hands, the monkey came close to Ruto who had just risen and dusted herself off while watching the monkey cautiously. The monkey sniffed the princess tentatively while the she stared with a critical expression. She was wary, but the creature looked so harmless. "Ouch!" she yelped as the monkey snatched something from the princess's leg and scampered away, chased by Salin's curses.

"Are you alright? What did he do to you?" he asked, not taking his eyes off the monkey who was now closely examining what he had found.

Ruto looked herself over. None of her jewels were missing, but she found a very small slightly discolored spot just above the knee where she felt the twinge of pain. "I think he took one of my scales," she said, looking over toward the monkey, who was fascinated by the way the light played off a disembodied zora scale. "We're not… in danger are we?" the princess asked, watching the monkey with fascination. "I know Cyrus told me that you need to exercise great care around them, but… this one doesn't seem too bad."

Salin shook his head. "Naw, Cyrus once told me that they're not mean but they are mischevious. Every once in awhile when he lived in Ordon valuable items would disappear only to be found in caches near the forest temple where the monkeys had hidden them. They especially have an eye for jewelry and glass." Content to let the monkey enjoy his new treasure, the zoras resumed their journey.

"Princess…" Salin said hesitantly.

"What is it?"

"Back in Castle Town… I'm sorry about insulting your giving the commoner your necklace. It was yours and you could do what you want with it. I suppose he did deserve our thanks," he admitted humbly, causing Ruto to stare in disbelief. Salin genuinely apologized for something!

"Thank you," was all the princess could manage.

Presently they were rejoined by the monkey, who chattered as he bounded up towards the pair once again. Now attracted by Salin's armor which still held a sheen from its polish, the monkey looked closely at it, running a hand up and down the smooth surface. A couple of times Salin pushed the creature away, only to have it return unperturbed once again. Eventually he gave up and had to endure Ruto laughing at the monkey's reaction to seeing his own reflection in the breastplate. _I knew I should have worn my shell armor_ , the guard thought in annoyance.

Suddenly the monkey froze and scampered up a tree. Before either of the zoras could wonder why, they heard the guttural, high pitched cries of bokoblins emerging from deeper in the forest. Three blue, rough skinned, plump, club armed, and hideous bokoblins pointed toward the pair, and charged, dragging their clubs in the dirt. Ruto and Salin both rushed in turn, unafraid of these stupid marauders. Easily the pair dispatched them, Salin piercing one with his polearm and Ruto bringing death to the other two with each of her arm fins.

The monkey could be heard chattering in triumph from the tree while the zoras cleaned themselves off. Then, rushing out of the tree, he grabbed Ruto's arm and began to pull her deeper into the forest. "Get your paws off of her bracelets you little..." Salin threatened, but a gesture from Ruto's other hand stopped him.

"He's not pulling them off," she defended. "I think he just wants to show us something."

Reluctantly, they followed. Ruto's feelings of fear were rising once again. Was this the way they were supposed to go? It ran perpendicular to the way they were taking. Salin was once again scanning around the woods, polearm at the ready. Soon they found out just what the monkey had been so anxious to show them. Standing in a disorganized group in front of an abandoned house stood five bokoblins, four of them blue, one of them red. From Salin's war experience he knew that the red variety were much more resilient to attack and struck much harder than their blue cousins.

"You want us to rid you of these ones, too?" Ruto asked the monkey as she peered from their hiding place as if he could answer. Hardening her fins, she calculated how to face these monsters. "I think we can take care of your problem," she said about to rise.

"Wait!" Salin hissed, pulling the princess back down. "You need to watch out for that red one. They're a hundred times worse than the other ones, but they're just as stupid. Bokoblins are usually pretty predictable, so we can count on the red either being in front or in back. I'll go out first and draw them away from the shack, then you come out and get them from behind. If the red's in the back, kill him in one stroke if you can. If he's in front, mow down his blues and then help me with the red one. Got it?" he asked.

Ruto answered, "You'd make a fair tactician," with a smile. Salin broke a grin and then emerged from behind the rise they hid behind, moving casually as if to appear to be nothing more than a traveller. As expected, the bokoblins in their shrieking cries began to charge toward the zora on their stubby legs, the red in front waving his cleaver. Not even reacting to defend himself, the red bokoblin was met with a powerful thrust from Salin that landed square in his chest. But to his revulsion, the marauder still appeared to be full of life.

The princess then catapulted from her hiding place and charged the bokoblins in back. In their typical monumental stupidity, all five craned their necks when they heard the sound. Two of them would not even be able to turn around before they met the princess's sharp fins, while a third wouldn't get the chance to do any more than turn to face his assailant. Salin, taking advantage of the confusion impaled the last blue and then swung heavily toward the red's neck, sending the head flying. Combat always had a strong effect on the princess, but seeing something more gruesome than usual in a fight caused her to double over and heave whilst breathing desperately to keep from losing her last meal.

Once she recovered, she stood shakily. "I would think I'd be numb to this kind of thing by now," she said with a nervous laugh. An angry roar tore through the air, interrupting the two zoras. Bursting through the door of the shack was a green bokoblin, a very rare breed of the creatures. Green bokoblins are more intelligent than any other variety, in addition to being more resistant to attack than even their red skinned brothers. This one was armed with an old rusted sword that exhibited several nicks and a crude wooden shield.

"Salin," Ruto said apologetically. "I don't think I have it in me for this one."

"Not a problem, princess," the guard said confidently as he lowered his weapon toward his enemy. Salin aimed a blow toward the bokoblin's head only to have it swung his shield and batter the weapon away. Taking advantage of the diverted pike, he closed distance with Salin to where his sword could reach and the blade of the polearm couldn't. "Clever one, aren't you?" the zora growled bitterly as he yanked back his polearm and readjusted his grip on it.

Now in striking distance, the bokoblin swung his sword wildly with a speed greater than what either zora expected. Unskilled sword strikes blunted themselves against Salin's light plate armor and left several dents. The beast seemed to be getting more angry that his opponent hadn't died yet, and the sword swings became more fierce. In the bokoblin's blind fury, Salin was able to scamper away to where he could regain his reach advantage.

Now the monkey's screams were tearing through the air. Chattering angrily and wildly at the bokoblin, he began to throw rocks and sticks at the hideous fiend. The bokoblin knew better than to divert his attention from the threat to the annoyer and shrugged off the hail of pebbles. _Can't he throw anything bigger?_ Salin thought irritably. His opponent battered aside the polearm once again to close distance and again the zora danced out of the way, jabbing and slashing as he did. The bokoblin's shield absorbed the guard's attacks-even his stronger swings.

Growing impatient, Salin bellowed, holding his polearm at a diagonal on his left side to absorb any incoming blow, though this move was unnecessary since the bokoblin stood in shock while the zora barrelled into his shield, knocking him on his back. With a flourishing twirl, Salin spun his weapon around intending to drive the point into the downed enemy, who had rolled away just in time to save his own life. The zora cursed as he futilely wrenched at his polearm that was now stuck fast into the ground. Instinctively, he grabbed at his side for his sword, then immediately realized in dismay that he didn't bring it with him when he left Zora's Domain.

Cackling heinously, the bokoblin rushed at his now assumed unarmed quarter, shield in front and sword raised. Salin was not as graceful of a hand-to-hand fighter as the princess, but he was still dangerous when weaponless. The monkey was now screaming even more furiously and dashed into combat, climbing upon the bokoblin, biting, scratching, and gouging anywhere he could. Trying desperately to free himself the bokoblin swung at the monkey, missing the nimble aggressor every time. The monkey's assaults blended with the rapid slashing from zora fins, but his thick skin preserved him through the attack.

At last, managing to grab the simian, the bokoblin hurled him away and returned his attention to Salin. He struck with both fins while his enemy groped for the old sword, leaving two deep furrows on the monster's chest. The zora snarled in frustration when the bokoblin rose again, sword in hand. He dealt a strong punch to the hideous face, which knocked his enemy senseless for a moment, giving Salin the time to place a double-finned thrust into the marauder's heart.

Now growing more angry at the unreal tenacity of his still standing enemy, Salin thrusted the same place again, now satisfied to find a brief expression of shock, and then the blank stare of death come upon the monster's face. To his puzzlement, however, the bokoblin did not fall away from him. Not thinking anything of it, he withdrew his fins and jumped back as the corpse teetered and fell forward, revealing Ruto standing behind the dead bandit with blood on her fins.

"Thanks," Salin breathed, approaching to support the princess, thinking she would fall over again.

"I'm fine," she said halfheartedly. "I'll be fine" assured breathlessly, drawing up to her full height. Salin returned the rejection with a look of skepticism then proceeded to clean off his fins and extricate his polearm from the ground.

The monkey had returned and was loudly applauding and chattering excitedly. Ruto cast a smile at the animal. "Happy to help," she said when Salin rejoined her.

"Look, he wants us to follow him again, but at least he's not dragging you this time," Salin indicated, pointing toward the monkey who was beckoning for the zoras to follow him. Tentatively, though not as much as before, they complied. While they followed the monkey, the air seemed to become lighter and a freshness pervaded the beings of the zoras. The trees appeared to become more noble and resolute as they moved on as well. Both princess and guard walked taller and any trace of worry and despair seemed to dissipate.

Soon, the three came to what the zoras knew to be the source of this goodness. The monkey gestured toward a beautiful spring of shallow water. Strange runes carved on the rocks and waterfalls cascading in mystic swirls betrayed this as a Spirit's Spring. Birds sang peacefully here. All life and warmth in the forest seemed to originate from this place.

The monkey waved in farewell and then skittered back into the forest, leaving the zoras alone in this peaceful place. The smooth water began to ripple in the center of the spring, though it was undisturbed by anything the zoras could see. The rippling intensified, but not to the point of becoming strong waves. Then a voice rang out, a godly, low baritone that seemed to come from all directions. "Ruto Zora. Salin Bluescale. I am Faron, the guardian of these woods," the voice said. Both Ruto and Salin were struck by a supreme sense of awe in the presence of this voice. The willful Salin and the esteemed Ruto were both overcome with the majesty of this voice and fell to their knees reverently.

"Though but a small nuisance, I thank you for ridding my forest of the foul creatures. More would have come to join them," Faron said slowly. The hearts of both zoras were filled with a burning sensation, although the feeling was strangely pleasant. "You may use my spring to wet your scales and wash the road from your bodies. The path is clear from here to Ordon. I bid you a safe journey," the Light Spirit concluded.

"Wait," Ruto called. "Is Cyrus well? Do you know, spirit?" she asked hopefully, but Faron said no more. Even though answered with silence, Ruto somehow knew that her husband was at least safe. Letting this peace overcome her, she sank completely down into the water, very thankful to let water, in particular this enchanted spring water, flow through her gills. Salin slowly slumped down as well, enjoying the sensation just as much as his lady.

After an hour or so of laying peacefully, the zoras decided that it was best they should resume their journey through unspoken agreement. As Faron had indicated, a clearly marked path led from the Spirit's Spring to Ordon. They passed another Spirit's Spring on the way. They felt the same sense of wondrous peace as they had at Faron's Spring, but they didn't stay to visit it.

The scent of a ranch hit both zoras once they exited the forest. They were greeted by an immaculately kept treehouse when the woods thinned out a little more. "It looks too good to be lived in," Salin remarked as he noticed a bronze plaque bearing the crest of the hylian royal family, a winged and taloned triforce.

"The former home of Murad, descendant of the Hero of Time, a lesser-known yet vitally important figure in hylian history who saved Hyrule from certain doom at the hands of a Gerudo King. A wild tale he told of his adventures in so doing, since he was only a lad of nine. His story was corroborated nonetheless by the sages. Also residented here in the past was Link, the Hero of Twilight that freed Hyrule from the rule of a strange man from far away by the name of Zant. Currently, Murad, the great-grandson of the latter hero, lives in Southern Ordon," the princess read.

"It's a nice place," she commented. "I wonder why he moved?"

"You call it a nice place yet you live in a palace," Salin murmured, thinking that the house was a somewhat impractical design. "Come on," he added for the princess to hear. "Let's see if Cyrus is in town."

Ruto's heart rose with anxiety at the prospect of meeting her husband again. He was nowhere to be found anywhere else they looked. He _had_ to be here!

The hot summer afternoon sun illuminated the cozy town of Ordon in brilliant light. A shop stood across from a house carved from a tree in front, followed by gardens, another house, and a watermill that churned with the small river running below it. Farther out was a home larger than the rest and the entrance to, as a sign indicated, the ranches.

"It's so… small," Ruto commented. Salin nodded in silent agreement. In the village they saw a middle-aged well-built, albeit slightly short brown haired man working in a garden planting seeds. Near him in the shade sat two women on a bench chatting with each other.

"Let's see if they've seen him," Salin suggested. The request called the princess's wandering attention back to the present. She had been wondering how one could survive in such a small hamlet with so few people around.

As they neared the villagers, Ruto noticed with strange fascination that these people had round ears, not pointed ears like the hylians she was used to seeing. The three didn't notice the zoras approaching until Ruto said, "Excuse me," to get their attention. Three pairs of wide eyes locked on the zoras, each human jolting with surprise. Their gazes fixed the longest on Ruto.

"Do… you speak Hylain?" Ruto asked tentatively, confused by the stares. These weren't the usual stares she got, these were stares of people who had never seen something like what they were presented with at this time.

"Have you never seen a zora before?" Salin asked bluntly with a wry smile. He was used to this stare, having taken contracts in his mercenary years that led him to people that had never seen a member of his tribe before. Long ago he had considered just how strange a zora must look to a human or hylian that had never seen one before.

Each human woman then immediately removed their shawls and handed them to the princess. "I… umm… Thank you…?" the princess said, unsure of what to do as she accepted the shawls. "What's going on Salin?" she whispered to her aid. Evidently, the more rotund, middle-aged, brunette woman heard.

"You just seem a little… underdressed," she explained, indicating that Ruto wore nothing more than her jewelry.

"Ah," the princess replied with understanding. "Zoras don't often wear clothes. We live in the water mostly and cloth makes it difficult to swim. As you might also see, I have nothing to cover that most humans would." The women gave Ruto a sideways look as they replaced their shawls. The brunette one threw a glare at the man who had just walked up to join the rest when she saw his eyes lingering on the princess. "If I may introduce myself," the princess began, unsure of how to continue with this company. "My name is Ruto, Princess of the Zora tribe and heir to the throne of King Ralis."

The other woman, a blonde and younger lady gasped. "Zora Princess! Lara, didn't your grandmother say that she once met a Zora Prince?"

The other human woman, evidently Lara nodded. "Oh, yes she did. She never got tired of that story. His name was Ralis, too."

Ruto smiled. "That would have been my grandfather," she clarified deciding to restrain her stately manner as her present company would doubtless be unaccustomed to it. "I think he may have told me about a young human girl by the name of Beth. Was that your grandmother?"

Before Lara could answer, the other woman bolted off the bench and tried to hurry her friend off of it. "How could we be so crass?! Lara, she's a princess, we should give her the bench!" she gasped.

"You don't have to," Ruto hurriedly said in protest. Salin felt that his lady still should have a seat nonetheless, especially if the women's conversation would last as long as he anticipated.

"Mind if I borrow this?" he asked the other man, taking a chair from the table and placing it near the princess without waiting for affirmation or denial. "Thank you," she said, taking a seat cross legged.

"She your wife? Great catch," the man said to Salin with a wide grin.

The zora anticipated the shock his answer would bring. "Actually, she's married to Cyrus of Gleight. I think you know him," he corrected. The man dropped his hoe and his eyes widened farther than before in disbelief.

"Cyrus… Married…?" he said haltingly, still working through the shock. "Married a princess!?" he babbled further.

Salin assumed that Ruto had just told the women the same news, judging by their open mouths. A small grin appeared on the guard's face as he nodded. "Hasn't he done well for himself!" Lara said breathlessly. Ruto blushed slightly.

"We never thought our Cyrus would ever settle down enough to get married, but then it turns out he married a princess...! You must tell us how you met!" the younger blonde woman pressed.

Though anxious to meet with Cyrus, she felt that he would not leave Ordon while they were there so the princess related the tale to those present. She did not consider herself a great storyteller, but her audience was still riveted. Even Salin who had heard the account before, though not in the same depth, sat listening as well.

The wide eyed stares returned. "That is quite a story!" Lara gaped. "I know Murad went on the journey with you, but he never really said anything about it."

"He said it was 'too horrible,' but I thought it was a nice story," the younger woman added. "Except with that bit with the river zora king, anyway."

"Cyrus always told me that Murad hated adventuring and anything to do with it, and I found that to be true on our journey," the princess confirmed. Then looking at the other two, she asked "I don't think I even got your names."

The young blonde woman and short man identified themselves as Mia and Markus respectively, Markus adding that Lara was his wife. "More like you're my husband!" Lara said in jesting protest. "Planting this garden is the only thing I've gotten you to do all week!" Markus appeared indignant and then smiled.

Nobody had noticed a young girl saunter up to the group except for Salin. They looked at each other for a moment, neither saying a word. "What's your name?" the young girl asked eventually. "Salin," he said simply.

"That's a funny name," the girl answered innocently.

"Well, I like it," the guard grunted impatiently, shifting in his seat and turning away. He jolted when the girl tugged on his fin. "Ouch!" he yelped. "Don't do that!"

"Sorry," the girl answered, not hearing what she was in trouble over. Then pointing, she said, "That's my Mama, and over there is my Daddy," indicating Lara and Markus.

"That's nice," Salin acknowledged. He did not enjoy being around children, though he was not so unkind to be overtly rude to them. He sighed in thanks when Lara called to her child "Come over here, Tami deary. Quit pestering the zora man."

"I'm not pestering him, Mama!" the girl protested, but she still trotted away from Salin to her mother's arms and onto her knee.

"Who are they Mama?" the girl asked when she got comfortable. Before, she could be answered, she gaped in wide eyed fascination at Princess Ruto. "You're real pretty!" she exclaimed.

Ruto laughed at the young girl's brazenness. "Why thank you!" she said. "You're pretty cute, too," she added. Tami beamed. Ruto was a little more used to children than Salin because as part of her station she would visit zoran schools once in a while.

"What's your name?" the girl asked, still somewhat awestruck.

"My name is Princess Ruto," the zora answered, knowing that the thought of meeting a princess would do much to brighten the day of a young, barefooted farm girl like Tami.

"Really?!" the girl gasped, and when answered with a nod gibbered, "A real princess! A real live princess!" Squirming free from her mother's grip, she zoomed away calling several different names "Talso! Malso! Ronny! Molly! Boo! I met a real princess!"

Out in the distance, they could hear the loud denials from the other village children. "Come and see!" she urged her friends.

"Sounds like we may have to charge an appearance fee," Salin joked as they all heard small stampede of the children approaching. When they did arrive, they all stopped and gaped. Ruto was beginning feel worn out from being stared at so much in the last few days. The oldest with messy hair the same color as Lara and Markus's said quietly "Tami was right! She _has_ to be a princess! Look at all those jewels!"

Salin sat with a fist supporting his head as the children surged past him to his lady, peppering her with their overlapping chatter. The mothers and father struggled to quiet the children, but then Ruto managed to be heard over the lot.

"Do you mind if we use your little lake over there? Under this hot sun, we both need to swim," the princess requested.

Markus stammered an affirmative answer, but he thought the request sounded odd coming from a princess. "What do you mean you _need_ to swim?" quietly asked a boy from the group. He had cynical eyes like an adult but didn't appear to be any more than eight years old.

Salin leaned down from his seat to answer. "Have you ever felt really thirsty?" A few children started when he addressed them and all turned around to face the guard. "Now, imagine feeling like that all… over… your body." Each child paused a moment, imagining what that must feel like. A blonde boy from the group shuddered. "That happens to zoras like the princess and me. We _have_ to swim just like how you need to drink water, and in the hot summer sun, we need to do that a lot, so if you'll excuse us a moment… Oh and none of you touch my armor or weapon. You might hurt yourselves," the zora explained, and added the warning while he began to peel the armor off.

"Eeew…" moaned one of the girls as she saw a clear film draw from the chestplate to Salin's skin.

"Ugh," he agreed. "That happens if we don't swim often enough, too," he added in further explanation, walking quickly to the water the princess closely behind. The children looked after the zoras, and eventually after one of them said, "It's kind of hot, isn't it?" then another crowed, "To the pond!" and all charged toward the small lake, those that had them kicking off their sandals. The parents would have preferred that their children wouldn't get their day clothes wet, but they didn't feel the need to restrain them and went to sit by the waterside.

"You stay here, deary," Lara ordered her husband as he was about to leave the garden. Markus let out a mock groan and then went back to planting seeds.

"Don't go out so deep!" Mia called out to the children when they entered to pond. All of them knew how to swim fairly well, therefore they did not pay the warning much heed. "Hey," one of the twin girls said to Ruto, seeming concerned. "Where's the other one?"

The princess scanned around and saw a blue-green shape in the distance below the water. "He's hiding over there," she answered simply.

Worry grew on the girl's face. "Won't he drown? He's been down there for a while…"

"Zoras can breath water, see?" Ruto explained, showing the gills on her side. They were fluttering open and closed. "I'm not even breathing air right now, I'm using my gills."

"Ohhhh…" the girl said in fascination, and then suddenly having her moment ruined by a protesting, "Cut it out, Talso!" from the blond haired boy. Talso was splashing the other boy relentlessly. The princess signed for the girls and other boy to be quiet while she silently glided behind Talso. Hardening her fins and taking care to be far enough away not to hurt the boy, she blasted out of the water, using her fins to leverage out more water and showering a very bewildered Talso to the point of soaking his unruly hair all the way through and making it cover his eyes. All the children and Ruto laughed as she floated away from Talso to keep him from exacting an equally soggy retribution.

"Isn't it nice to see a royal condescend to play with the little tykes?" Lara asked Mia as they watched. Mia nodded in affirmation.

The children and Ruto laughed and played together for some time, and Salin even joined in eventually. "Hey, let's have a diving contest!" Tami suggested.

The boy with cynical eyes scoffed. "The zoras will destroy us," he dismissed quietly.

"They can be the judges!" one of the twins piped. Ruto didn't hear, however when she saw a resplendently dressed hylian descending the hill towards them. He looked familiar to the zoras, but it couldn't have been who they thought…

Coming closer to the edge, she heard the man speaking with the two human women. "...they were playing outside my house and then they were gone! Lo and behold here they are," he said, when his eyes turned to see two zoras emerging from the water, a sight he never expected to see.

"Murad! It's been too long!" Ruto chirped happily as she embraced this hylian she had come to consider a friend since their journey together with Cyrus.

Bewildered, he returned the gesture, his fine clothes now very wet. "Ruto… how…? Why…?" he stammered.

"You certainly have climbed the ladder, haven't you?" Salin observed, looking up and down the fine clothing Murad was wearing. The descendant of the Hero of Time grinned sheepishly. "I took that bounty I got for killing the river zora king and invested it. I had a plan to make more money out of some money, but I never had enough until then! Now I've got several acres and a nice house."

"It's good to see you again, Murad. We were having a little fun with the village children. You can go and get Cyrus and then…"

"What?" Murad interrupted, puzzled. "Cyrus isn't here. I haven't seen him since he dragged me on that crazy adventure four months ago."

This was the last place they thought Cyrus to be, and now with the news that he wasn't in Ordon, the princess's face drained of color, with only a subdued magenta in her usually richly colored forehead. Her heart sank more deeply than she had ever felt it go before in the most intense feeling of disappointment she had experienced.

Around dusk Ruto rose from her despair, still sitting on the bench near the waterside. She groaned weakly as she rubbed her forehead. "He's not here," she repeated a few times. "And I have no idea where to look for him now." Then becoming conscious of her surroundings, she found those that were at the pond were gathered around, along with the rest of the villagers of Ordon. "Give her some air!" someone barked, and everyone took a step back.

Rising to her feet, Ruto put on a more composed face. _Cyrus…_ she thought quietly. _My dearest. Where are you?_

"I might have something at the shop to perk her back up," a richly dressed man offered as he bounded down the street. The princess closed her eyes and sighed deeply to help her regroup.

"Princess Ruto, I presume?" a very large man asked in a deep bass voice. He was taller than the rest of the townsfolk, taller than Salin even. He was also built with a good deal of muscle and some fat. He appeared to be in his fifties, wearing a few wrinkles and hair that had almost entirely run gray. Though he cut an imposing figure, his eyes betrayed the kindness and wisdom of a grandfather.

"I am Lot," the big man said further, mostly in an attempt to bring the princess's attention somewhere away from what was disturbing her. "I'm the mayor of Ordon. I must say it's an honor to have you here. We don't have many zoras come to town, especially…"

Ruto interrupted, "Ordinarily, I would greatly enjoy speaking with you, but right now… I feel as if I've lost any realistic hope of finding my Cyrus again."

"Apologies, your grace," the mayor said humbly.

"Alright, let's go home. Leave her be," the mayor ordered, waving to dismiss the small gathering. The children lagged the longest, deep concern on their faces for their newest friend. "Come on, tykes," Lot urged, finally managing to disperse them. "Let me know when she gets better," he asked of Murad as he left himself.

Ruto eased herself back down on her seat. Staying so long in the sun as she had brought her close to exhaustion. After a few seconds, Salin returned and emptied a bucket on the princess. She stirred slightly and opened her eyes again, to look at Salin irritably. "You've been out in the sun too long," the guard said in his defense.

"We should get her indoors. Let's go to my house," Murad said, offering a hand to the princess.

"I can walk," the princess said woodenly, rising to her feet, although standing without the life-filled stance that she usually bore. While they travelled to Murad's house, Ruto observed the beauty of it even in her weakened condition. The building was two stories tall with a large balcony overlooking a spacious front lawn. The columns supporting the balcony were made from the finest wood and carved with images of Ordon goats.

Murad led the zoras into his sitting room. It was almost as lavish as Lord William's. Ruto dropped her whole weight into a sofa, Salin seating himself next to her, his armor and polearm in his pack he laid on the floor. Murad sat across from them.

Not knowing what to say, Murad cleared his throat. "Your love for Cyrus is astounding," he ventured. "Most would be crushed if their loved one evaded their grasp as you have, but the pain you show, it hurts me, too." Salin shot a piercing look at the descendant of the Hero, who held his hands before him in hurried apology. "I didn't mean to cause you any further pain, princess."

Ruto looked up and Murad. Without being asked, she found herself relating to the young man how Cyrus had left her, yet retained the Zora's Sapphire. Murad's face brightened with a little hope. "Well, now we know that he still loves you, but all of this is still very strange." The princess nodded weakly to Murad's remark and began to sit up a little straighter with this reminder of Cyrus's devotion.

The descendant arose and began to pace, a habit he had gained from having so much room to himself. "Where have you looked so far?" Murad asked.

"First we tried the Mercenary Camp," Salin began. "I thought that maybe he wanted to resume his mercenary career but was too ashamed to tell the princess directly."

"And?" Murad asked expectantly.

"He wasn't there. And after a somewhat cold reception we went to Castle Town, thinking he may have gone there for the same reason. Our results were the same, but not only that, we were ambushed by a band of mercenaries that killed a hylian noble who tried to help us."

Ruto was pained at the memory. "Lastly," she said to finish her guard's explanation. "We tried here. Salin thought this was the last place he might be, but it seems not to be so," she said wistfully.

Murad looked sadly at the zoras. "I would have guessed those places as well," he concluded.

A knock at the door interrupted the thoughts of all three. Assuming the worst because of what happened to them after the last mysterious visitor, Ruto retreated to a place where she could be close to the door and be ready to flee while Salin stood next the the door, his fins hard. He motioned for Murad, who was now growing uneasy to open the door.

"Yes?" Murad asked once he opened the door. He didn't know the person standing there. "Murad of Ordon? I have a message for you. It's from a… Cyrus?" he said hesitatingly, as if he wondered if he read the name right. Suddenly, he was yanked off of his feet by an angry looking zora who hurled him onto a table and aimed a sharp fin at his throat.

"Not the mahogany!" Murad groaned, locking the door and came to the captive with the princess edging her way nearer as well.

"Who are you?" Salin demanded. The man was too stunned to answer with the threat of death so immediately before him. "Speak!" Salin barked insistantly, bringing the fin closer until it touched the man's neck.

"I'm just an innocent courier!" the man sobbed desperately. "I just had a message to bring! I wasn't going to hurt no one!"

"Let's see that message," Salin growled, tearing the bag from the skinny man's waist and tossing it to Murad, with his fin still on the man's neck. "It's the one with Mr. Murad's name on it! Please don't hurt me!" the courier pleaded.

Finding the letter, Murad broke the seal and began to read. "Murad, I know that you never expect to hear from me, and when you do it's to call you to go on some adventure…"

"Cyrus!" the princess crowed, practically leaping over to Murad to seize the letter and read it herself. She continued the missive, ignoring Murad's indignant look. "And for perhaps the first time in your life this is not the reason I've contacted you.

"I've left Zora's Domain and I was pursued to the gate by my bonnie wife. I couldn't bear to tell her what turmoil raged in my heart, neither did I feel that I could adequately describe or explain my reasonings to her. I'm not sure I even could now.

"I send you this letter, Murad, to let you know that I am doing well and that I've gone to the last place you think me to go. I know that my beloved will probably be out looking for me by the time this letter reaches you, so sending a separate letter to Zora's Domain would have been a moot point. Yes, you read correctly, I wanted you to know as well. Inevitably, Ruto will come looking for me at Ordon. When she comes, please let her know that I have returned to Gleight…"

"Gleight!" Murad gasped in disbelief. "He swore that after he had left there he would never return! What's possessed him to go back to his old home and to the rest of his clan? Oh, never mind, he said he didn't know himself. Keep reading," he said to finish, only to find a once again hopeful and full-of-life Ruto offering the letter back to him.

"It was rude of me to read your personal notes," she said apologetically.

With a sigh of relief, Salin released the shaken courier. "Sorry, friend," he apologized, tossing the mailbag back to him. "But if it's any consolation, you might not have met with such a rough reception if you actually dressed like a postman."

The courier laughed nervously as he made his way to the door. "I just can't stand the ridiculous looking shorts and half-shirts they make us wear, so unless I absolutely have to, I don't. Although, after today, I think I should at least wear the hat," he said good-naturedly, placing the tall flat-topped red cap of the hylian postmen upon his head and leaving their company.

"Gleight," Murad breathed. "How are you even going to find your way there?" he asked the once-again hopeful zoras.

"Cyrus has lived with you for years, surely he's described the place to you? You could even come along and guide us," the princess suggested, but was met with a harsh, barking, and mirthless laughter from Murad.

"You, too, eh? Everyone that comes here seems to want to drag me from house and home. And by the way, he never did tell me. All he said was that Gleight was next to a river in the Trilby Highlands."

"Excuse her for asking," Salin answered with a biting sarcastic retraction.

Murad sighed. "I'm sorry. I thought I'd be able to settle down finally."

Ruto smiled slightly. "We'll be fine, you don't have to come. We won't press you," she said, easing the descendant's stubbornness. "But I at least wish I knew how to get to the Trilby Highlands. I've never even heard of them until I met Cyrus," she added, more to herself than to those around her.

Salin scoffed. "It shouldn't be too hard. All we need to do is ask any tor-" he cut himself off after receiving a piercing, disapproving look from Ruto. The princess disdained the only slightly derogatory term "torch-head" in regards to Trilby Highlanders after she herself had married one, although Cyrus himself didn't mind the rather neutral slur. "Highlander," Salin corrected. "If any of them have an accent then they probably came from there and could tell us the way.

Neither zora noticed that Murad had gone missing before he returned with some ancient map tubes. "Some of those look like they pre-date the kingdom itself!" the guard said in astonishment, examining one of the tubes. When he saw the dust stick to his damp hand he thought it best to allow the descendant to handle the maps.

"This should be it," Murad said with self-approval as he slid an antiquated map out of its case.

"How did you come into all of these?" Ruto asked, looking over some of the tubes herself.

The map Murad procured crackled severely as he opened it and even flaked apart in a couple of areas, causing the hylian to wince. "My father had a great interest in the history of Hyrule. He spent months away from home looking for old artifacts from the past, especially when they had to deal with our family. That wanderlust is what got him killed," he finished with a hint of bitterness.

Once he had set glasses on the four ends of the map to hold it in place he procured a more modern map and laid it out next to the other, slightly overlapping the two. Murad found Salin taking a very great interest in the newer map. "Wasn't it over here…?" he said in confused disbelief, staring at Lake Hylia pensively.

"What was that?" Ruto asked.

Salin shook his head. "I could have sworn that-and going by the orientation of Castle Town here-this map should look like this," he said, as he flipped it over, placing Lake Hylia on the eastern side of Hyrule.

Murad spat derisively. "Have you never seen where the sun goes, zora? Lake Hylia is on the West!" he huffed, rotating the map again. "Some fool drew this map entirely backwards. If Ordon province were actually on this map you might see that. Pah! This mistake and the fact that people think the Hero of Twilight was right handed drives me…"

Ruto cleared her throat to return attention, causing Murad to start. "Sorry princess," he said more from courtesy than actual apology. "One of the only constants in these maps is Lake Hylia," the descendent began, pointing to the large blue patch on both maps. "On the old one, you see that Hyrule Castle Town in reality was West of Lake Hylia. Why Hyrule located to the other side, and not even that long before the Twilight Crisis, I have no idea," he continued, indicating the Castle Towns on both maps. "Now, as for the Trilby Highlands, they lay West of Old Castle Town, right before this, Mount Crenel."

Ruto's earlier hope and enthusiasm began to tarnish. "That would mean we need to cross the Gerudo Desert to reach Old Hyrule!" she groaned in frustration. "No zora can make that journey!"

"Calm yourself princess, and look at this," Murad answered gruffly, pointing to the older map. "This river runs to Lake Hylia, behind the old town and ends beyond Mount Crenal."

Ruto looked at this river in skepticism. "That river doesn't exist. My people would have found it."

Salin's examination also brought doubt. "I'm certain that there's no river that runs here. The Gerudo Desert is on top of an impenetrable and solid cliff face that wraps almost entirely around that side of Lake Hylia."

"What do I know is," Murad huffed impatiently. "I've never been to Old Hyrule. Evidently you have."

"Why the harsh words, Murad?" Ruto asked, but was distracted almost immediately by a thought she had. "There is a possibility that could explain some of these discrepancies. Looking that the old map," she began, taking great care as she slid the other map off of it. "I have two theories. The first is that the Lakes Hylia may be separate lakes entirely, accounting for the lack of river on that side. Though my second theory is quite different, and I think it may also explain why Old Hyrule is no longer inhabited.

"The Gerudo Desert is on the South and West of Lake Hylia. On the map of Old Hyrule, we see that there are some great cliffs around the lake in the same place as they are now." Waving her hand over a vast stretch of the old map, she continued, "If these lakes are the same, all of this would be the Gerudo Desert right now. The only things that seem to be unchanged-from what Cyrus told me at least- are the Trilby Highlands, this mountain, and this marsh, and possibly some of this forest, depending on how far south the desert runs. That also could mean that we don't know of that river because it's dried out. This map must be hundreds, if not a thousand years old. I'm no scholar or geologist, but that could be enough time to obliterate all of this."

Murad had his hand to his chin in interest. "Bold theory, indeed, princess, but a thousand years is not enough time to make that radical of a change, I'm sure."

"Perhaps the old hylians kindled the wrath of the gods somehow…" Ruto speculated, but to be cut off by Salin.

"You two are so cute. You should take your findings to the university and see what they think," he cut in caustically, folding his arms. "What we need here right now is more fin and less brain. How do we get to Trilby? No matter what happened to Old Hyrule or where the desert came from or anything else we still don't know how in the depths a lovesick zora princess and her foolhardy bodyguard will cross that desert."

Ruto was unabashed by the scathing remark, driven by her task to find a way through. Her heart sank at what she saw might be the only option, but the thought of reuniting with Cyrus urged her on to make the suggestion. "I think it may mean going through the forest," she said fearfully, remembering what their journey to Ordon had been like. "The old and new Hyrules seem to share forests south of Lake Hylia, whether those lakes are different or the same, the forest may well extend all of that way to southern Old Hyrule, and there we can easily reach the Trilby Highlands."

"That's the kind of planning I like!" Salin piped cheerfully. "We can make it through the Forests, no problem. Any wood needs to have ponds, rivers or streams going through it and we can live off of those on the way."

Now it was Murad's turn to appear doubtful. "Faron woods has sheer cliffs on both sides. Even if the woods extend that far, how are you getting up those cliffs?" he challenged.

Salin shrugged in response. "Ropes and hooks, how else?"

"And another thing," Murad added, ignoring Salin's solution. "They call those the _Lost_ Woods for a reason. How do you think you can make it through there?"

Ruto thought for a moment. "Did your ancestors save any of the compasses from the temples and dungeons they delved through?"

"That just may work…" Murad answered, intrigued while he left to find one.

"What a lot of work we're going through just to plan this little jaunt and we haven't even started it yet," Salin murmured derisively, impatient to begin the journey.

After a short time, Murad returned with a small pouch that held several compasses in varying designs. His spirits began to dampen as he laid them out on the table. Each one faced in a different direction. "They're all broken?" Ruto asked woodenly.

"Maybe not…" Salin suggested quietly, seeing the needle bounce in one of the compasses. He moved several of them around on the table, and even turned a few. Each of them still pointed the same direction they had been. "It seems they point to a certain place, not to the north, as most compasses do," he observed.

"And just how will that help you?" the descendant murmured.

"Simple," Ruto chimed, after examining each compass again. "I can see that your ancestors labeled these compasses. Look at the bottom," she indicated a compass that had brass wreathing around the side with "Lakebed Temple" written on the bottom. "I assume that this means that this compass was from the Lakebed Temple, and that it's pointing that way. We should take this one and…" she trailed while she searched through the pile again, finding a compass of similar design with "Forest Temple" scrawled on the bottom, she resumed her explanation. "We can find out where we're going through the forest with this one-labeled 'Forest Temple'- as it will just point us back to the Temple in Faron Woods and we'll travel the opposite way to take us toward the Trilby Highlands. It might be a good idea to take a different one as well, say this one with the Lakebed Temple for reference so we can insure that we are always going the right way, since, if we are going the right way, they will always be pointing the same direction, only they will point closer to the same direction the farther we travel, and on the way back we can just follow the one to Lakebed Temple and it will just take us to Lake Hylia and we can easily go back to Zora's Domain from there!" she said excitedly, her voice speeding up through the whole explanation.

"That should work," Murad admitted. "But," he added with puzzlement. "How on earth does a zora know where the Forest Temple is? Or that my ancestors even used compasses like these, for that matter?"

Insuring that she had the right compasses, she answered that any self-respecting royal family would teach their children the locations of such places that were important to Hyrule's history. "Fair enough," Murad said as he stole a glance out the window, seeing it was falling to night. "Fandi!" he called. In a few seconds, a slim man man with auburn hair in his twenties trotted in. "What can I do for ya, bud?" he asked informally. Fandi had hired on as Murad's butler, though he still considered the descendant of the Hero a close friend. Before Murad had come into his wealth he had in fact worked for Fandi on the ranches.

"Light the candles, please," Murad ordered while he very carefully rolled up the maps. Pricks of light shone through the house as Fandi carried out the command. "You probably don't need to leave too early," Murad said after he had replaced the maps. "It might not be such a good idea to travel through the forest while the morning fog is still hanging over it."

"Ahh, to sleep in, not having to get up at the crack of dawn to rouse the troops and to not have the first rays of sunlight wake you either," Salin sighed in mock contentment. "Is this what it feels like to be royalty?"

"Not so, Salin," Murad cautioned. "This is a ranch town. Everyone gets up early. Even if you tried to sleep in the cuccoos wouldn't let you," The zora rolled his emerald eyes, but then widened them at a call from Fandi.

"Hey, bud there's someone coming to the door, five guys, all of 'em in armor."

"Shields?" Salin asked.

"Yep."

"What are the crests on them?" Ruto asked, apprehension growing.

"It looks like…" Fandi began, straining his eyes to see out the window in the evening light. "They look like red rupees."

Both zoras swore viciously and ran for the windows, peering out slits in the curtains to remain unseen. Murad was taken aback at the foul language on the part of the princess. "What's going on?" he asked, wondering what was prompting the outburst.

"We've already had to deal with mercenaries trying to drag the princess back to Zora's Domain. I'm guessing that's what they're here for, too," Salin explained, running to put on what armor he could and get his weapon.

The descendant appeared puzzled. "Why not just send their own soldiers? Do they really feel the need to empty the coffers for these louts to come and get you?" he pressed.

Ruto shook her head. "Zoras never hire mercenaries. The last one we did was Cyrus when he was sent to find the Water Medallion, and he was the first one we used in… ages!"

Seeing Salin re-enter the room with all of his armor on, Murad's heart began to race. "Y-y-you can't convince them to leave, c-c-c-can you?" he stammered, fearing that he might be forced to aid the zoras in their conflict. Though he possessed the skill of the Legendary Hero, Murad was still petrified of fighting, as well as a good deal of other things, most of them involving anything that would cause him pain.

Five booming knocks shook the house as the mercenaries arrived at the door. "Fandi?" Murad squeaked.

The butler masked his fear a little more than Murad could and he answered the door. "What do you fellas need?" he managed, sounding like his usual cordial self.

"Sir, are you Murad?" another man asked. His voice was deep, and he sounded like he had noble bearing, though not in the pretentious manner that Tsobar had exhibited.

"Who wants to know?" Fandi asked, unwilling to disclose any information to mercenaries that were after his master's houseguests.

"I'm Tarka," the mercenary replied without hesitation. "We have been sent by a Laird's-heir named Cyrus to locate a Princess Ruto and escort her to the Trilby Highlands. He said that she may be here."

Due to the zoras' earlier apprehension, Fandi was still somewhat suspicious. Attempting to sound bewildered, he answered the mercenary "A _princess_ coming to Ordon? Now that's one tall tale, bud. Who did ya say sent you again?"

Murad, in a rare show of courage stepped to the door. "What's going on?" he asked bluntly, covering his fear beneath a facade of irritation. "Mercs? What do you want?" he asked testily. "Make it quick."

The mercenary remained polite, and restated his purpose. Murad scoffed. "As if any zora would ever come down here! Let me see your contract." Tarka duly proffered the contract, and Murad was astonished at what he saw. The order was indeed to locate Princess Ruto and escort her to the Trilby Highlands. The handwriting also appeared to be Cyrus's, as well as the signature. The only thing that made the descendant suspicious is that the highlander's letter did not say anything concerning a mercenary escort.

 **About to threaten eviction from his property, Murad saw behind the five heavily armored men the gate open and a pair of figures, one blue-green and the other magenta slip out. "Sorry for my earlier suspicion, but we don't have many mercenaries come by here. And I hate to tell you this, too, but you just missed the princess."**


	6. Chapter 6

The zoras only took a few seconds to refresh themselves in the Spirit's Spring of Ordona before resuming their journey. "Do you believe what those mercenaries said about being sent by Cyrus?" Salin asked, panting slightly as they jogged to make as much distance as they could. Ruto took another glance at the compass labeled "Forest Temple" before answering. "After our last encounter, no, and the fact that Cyrus's letter didn't say anything about an escort makes me even more doubtful."

Salin broke a grin. _I've trained her well,_ he thought. Then out loud he warned the his charge, "There's no telling what these woods are like during the night, princess. Keep your fins sharp and your eyes open."

"I'd rather know that I face uncertain danger with certain fate in these woods than certain danger with an uncertain fate at the hands of those mercenaries," Ruto panted. In their flight they passed through a long cave, lit by lantern light and a densely foggy glade before skidding to a halt at what they had to be certain was the forest temple. A stone walkway led to a colossal tree, hollowed out by ancient hands. To the side was a sheer cliff drop, past which the zoras could not make out anything in the rapidly dying sunlight.

"That's the Forest Temple, and if we're nearly directly south of Lake Hylia now…" Ruto murmured absently as she examined the compasses. "The Highlands we know will be West…" she trailed now looking at the seemingly impassable obstacle. "We need to go over there, but how?" the princess pondered, forcing herself in the midst of a dark forest at night and assumed pursuit to remain calm to think more clearly. "We didn't think this through as well as we could have…"

Salin trotted over to the cliff edge and squinted out. "I can see another cliff out that way. I think I might be able to hurl Reaper over there, and her weight should keep the tip buried deep enough in... it looks like wood to hold our weight while we cross," he calculated. "But I have no rope!" he added in frustration. Both their minds scrambled for a solution.

"Weren't there vines hanging from some of the trees behind us?" Ruto asked, hurrying to confirm her theory. Salin trailed closely behind, trying to convince himself the rattle of plate armor he heard on the trail was his mind playing tricks on him.

Salin hastily tied the vine to his polearm, giving it a few tugs. Taking a slight jog, he hurled his polearm to the next cliff. The zoras heard a dull thud when the tips of the weapon burrowed into the wood. After a few yanks to test the security of the vine that they had tied to a nearby tree, Salin began to shimmy down the vine toward his weapon.

"Wait for me to cross first, I don't think that the vine will hold both of us," the guard cautioned when he felt the vine sag slightly. Breathing a sigh, Salin called out to Ruto, but rather than being met with her voice or her presence, the other end of the vine fell limply down the cliff face.

"What in the-?" Salin gasped, pulling up the other end and examining it. A clean cut was made on the vine. Before he could cry out, he heard the twang of a bowstring, followed by an arrow burying itself into the wood beside him with a rope tied to the end of it. "Princess?" he called, worry rising in his voice. Almost in direct response to his call, Ruto came clamboring on the rope down to meet her guard. "What happened?" Salin demanded, getting his polearm ready.

"Those mercenaries," Ruto began, gently pushing the polearm down. "Followed us closely behind, but I think they can be trusted. They showed me the contract, and it is indeed in Cyrus's handwriting. They also showed me a wax print of the Zora's Sapphire as further proof. It even had the writing on the parts that are gold. Very few know that the writing is even there."

"That doesn't prove anything," Salin growled, readying his polearm once again. "'Very few' still means someone does know that the writing is there. They could have found that out and made a replica to make the imprint, and furthermore-"

Interrupting him was a hylian mercenary riding down the rope like a zipline, though he was unarmed and unarmored. He wore a red sleeved shirt and tan pantaloons with a pair of fine leather boots on his feet. "Puh' tha' thing doun befar ya impeil one a' me men!" the hylain shouted. In the moonlight the zoras could see that he had the red hair of the highlanders to match the accent. "Shailon. Pleased tae make yer acquaintance… Barracuda?!" the mercenary introduced and then recoiled in disbelief.

Just then, another mercenary followed over, and then another. Salin seemed to relax upon meeting a familiar face, though he still was wary. At the very least he reposted his polearm. "Someone to lead us to Trilby," the guard said with a sarcastic grin.

"Right ya are," Shailon the Highlander confirmed as another mercenary lit onto the ancient tree stump.

"I think we'll be fine without escort," Salin grunted to dismiss the mercenaries. The last mercenary on the other end was now sliding supplies down the rope in baskets.

"Salin…" Ruto softly protested. "What's the harm in travelling with them? They are escorting us to our intended destination, not a different one like the last mercenaries, the contract does seem authentic…"

"That doesn't make any difference!" Salin cut in with defiance. "Even with all the 'proof' they have of their honest intent," he roared, not caring that all five mercenaries were across now. "Cyrus's letter still didn't mention these goons, we already were nearly tricked by a band of mercenaries…"

Ruto dismissed the guard's arguments with a wave of her webbed hand. "The decision is final, Prakau Bluescale."

The guard stood silenced by the princess, but his obedience was very grudging. He went on mumbling about how he would not trust mercenaries for the rest of this journey any farther than he could swim in the sands of the Gerudo Desert. "I'm watching all of you. If I don't like the way you so much as breathe around the princess I'll feed you to tektites," he warned balefully.

"Ye have nothin' tae warry abaut. We're reds thatta nae broken a contract in aur whule career. Ya know thah' Barracuda," Shailon assured.

Salin only grunted in derision and ordered, "All of you mercs go to the next platform, then I'll follow, then the princess will send your supplies and join us."

"Fair enough," one of the mercenaries affirmed, shooting another roped arrow to the next ledge. "How many of those do you have?" Salin asked.

"Enough rope to make the trip several times over, and about one hundred arrows between the five of us-" a mercenary replied. His face paled when Salin cut down the rope behind them with his fins.

Offering no explanation the guard simply commanded, "Get moving," in a stern voice, ignoring the disapproving look from the princess.

Twice more they rode down the ropes to their next destination, and each time they humored Salin and followed in his prescribed order, and each time he severed the ropes behind them. "I must apologize for Salin's paranoia," Ruto said, casting a look toward the guard, who was handing the packs to each mercenary one by one. "He takes his duties very seriously."

"Admirable quality, I have no fault with him," a mercenary cordially replied, preparing to replace his armor.

"Hold!" the guard barked as all eyes turned to him. "What can we expect farther in here?" he asked to Shailon. The forest beyond had an eerie, yet at the same time peaceful feeling pervading it. The forest felt as if ancient magic resided here.

"These ahr the Lost Woods," the highlander began. "Horrors of all kainds lurk in here, some appear fair and athers foul. Keep only tae the path that Oi'll show ya. We'll be toid togethar throo the lot of it until we come tae tha Minish Woods of Old Hyrule. If ya fall off the path haer, ye'll come out as a stalfos. I don't know what suspicions ya be harborin' nau, Barracuda, but no mattar what ya think aur intent is, yah'd do well to do as Oi say." The remark to Salin was not a threat or a warning, simply an acknowledgement of his wariness toward the mercenaries.

"I hear a trumpet…" Ruto said quietly, apprehension rising.

"It's already begun," a stout mercenary cautioned. "We need to go quickly now."

Salin permitted the mercenaries to don their armor, but only cuirasses and greaves. Each one was armed with a longsword and a kite shield. Once all were prepared, they entered the forest, Shailon in front, the other four mercenaries tied in succession behind him, then lastly the princess with Salin bringing up the rear.

While they traveled, they could hear the trumpet Ruto had noticed earlier, along with a flickering lantern light coming from the same direction. "Skull kid," Shailon explained, sword out, eyes shifting all around him. "When children become lost in hier, they become thas little imps and most gain strange powers."

Though hardened soldiers, all of the mercenaries and Salin were trembling in nervousness in this forest. Such a strange feeling pervaded the enchanted woods that made them all uneasy. "He's stopped playing," Ruto observed when the music stopped. A stony silence pervaded for a few seconds. There were no birds singing nor were there any insects chirping or buzzing. The traveling companions found this silence more frightening than the forest itself. Each of them jumped when one long, sour note echoed throughout the trees. Breathless curses escaped the lips of the mercenaries.

Within seconds, a wooden rattling was heard as six puppet-like monsters, all just under six feet tall dropped from the sky and stopped as if suspended by puppet strings and surrounded the travellers. All had an unsettling sharp-toothed smile painted on their faces. Ruto shrieked at their sudden appearance. "Duck!" Salin ordered sharply, and all immediately hit the ground while he dealt a mighty circular swing around his head, destroying every puppet creature with his polearm. All of them clattered lifelessly onto the ground and vanished in black smoke. Silvery threads caught by the moonlight could be seen lifting up into the sky.

"...Never going into a forest again…" Ruto muttered breathlessly, as well as several incoherent words that none could understand.

Shailon turned and faced the zoras. "Princess, tha only thing thah'll keep ye through here is if ya calm yarself. If ya be goin' mad in here, you'll ruin us all. And Barracuda, those poppets always attack in the same wae, they make a ring 'round ya, and then they'll swing their arms wildly, like a marionette. If ya can keep up what ye did every toime they come, thas beasties won't gie us any mar trouble." Both zoras nodded in understanding. Ruto's nod was made of small, jerky movements as she tried to contain hysteria and Salin with one solid movement born of determination.

The trumpet resumed playing the same tune it had earlier. Salin especially strained himself to listen to when the music would cease and then the mysterious musician would play his sour note. This happened multiple times, and every time Salin successfully banished every puppet monster in one arcing swing of his polearm. His travelling companions reflexively fell to the ground now every time they heard the sour note.

"Farore prasarve os! Tha next part o' tha path be seal'd!" Shailon gasped, placing a hand on the wall in front of him.

The mercenaries and Ruto shifted their eyes fearfully about while Salin glared directly at the highlander. "I thought you knew the way!" he jabbed.

"Och Barracuda, I'm no' lyin' tae ya! Tha woods'll change somtoimes. Even if ya know tha wey ih' moight no' be thar when ye com next! Just anothar reason athar highlanders cross tae hyrule by the desart!"

Realizing she still had them, Ruto quickly took out her compasses to see if this was the way. Their needles confirmed that they needed indeed to go where Shailon had indicated, past the now sealed pathway. "Compasses don't help much in a maze, princess," said one of the mercenaries, his voice trembling slightly. "The only way is toward the skull kid," a different mercenary observed, pointing his sword through an open path where the trumpet was sounding from. As the companions discussed what they should do, Salin felled another group of puppet monsters.

Ruto was visibly shuddering now. "Breathe deep, milady," Salin said in the most soothing voice he could. "We'll just take any path that we can for now that goes toward our destination. I'm here, and while I still have blood in my veins I'll make sure no ill falls upon you, as is my sworn duty." The princess looked up to Salin when he said this, his confidence spreading to her heart with the affirmation that he would die protecting her. Grasping his hand, she pulled herself up and set her face toward the dancing light in the next part of the forest.

"We move," she ordered shakily.

"Look ah tha'," Shailon said proudly. "Alweis had a good sense o' duty, tha' one."

The guard's expression hardened when he responded to the highlander. "Butter me up all you want, torch-head, I still don't trust you," he flatly declared.

In the next area, the company saw the skull kid dressed in ragged russet clothes with a pointed hat dancing gleefully on a large tree branch. He wore the same wicked, pointed tooth grin that the puppets did. Orange eyes peered at each of them down his strange multi-mouthed instrument. Drawing a deep, hissing breath he blew a sour note, to which the company responded, now conditioned to do so.

A frustrated mercenary pulled out his bow and aimed an arrow at the skull kid. "Permission to shoot this little imp? It might get him to stop sending his puppets at us," he asked, drawing farther back. Shailon nodded, and the mercenary let fly.

The arrow found its mark, right in the center of the skull kid's chest. He screamed in pain, a sound that reminded them of the shriek of a pained child and he doubled over. When he rose to his feet again there was no arrow there. All the while the skull kid had the same unsettling grin. He gave an equally nerve-rattling giggle and leaped into the air and vanished, only to reappear directly in front of the party just as the wall in front of him vanished, which new passageway he ran down after taking a backward look at the group.

"After him!" shouted one of the mercenaries, beginning to run, then restrained by a tug on the rope from the mercenary behind him.

"He'll lead us off the path, Nel. Don't follow him," he warned.

Looking warily around, Shailon sighed. "Sorry lads, but I've no cloo as tae where we goh fram here." The mercenaries began to murmur, some in disappointment, the others in frustration.

"Princess, the compasses! Huagh!" Salin reminded and then grunted as he arced his polearm and destroyed the newest wave of puppets. Ruto's anticipation quickly faded to despair when she saw that the compasses indicated once again that they go through a solid wall. Checking the compasses himself, Salin cursed using such language that even the mercenaries seemed taken aback by what he said.

"We have no choice but to follow him," a mercenary declared in solemn resignation.

"Perhaps this creature will be merciful to us and lead us out of the forest somewhere?" another suggested hopefully.

Salin scoffed, "After you pierced him with an arrow?"

"Oi wouldn't waste mai toime thinkin' about wha' Oi cahn' control. We follow the skull kid because it's _oll_ we cahn du," Shailon ordered, the same resignation in his voice. The princess made the faintest trace of a whimper as her eyes darted around the enchanted wood. The feelings of being lost were near to debilitating. "Don' worry, lass. Ye have os. Ye have yer Barracuda," Shailon attempted in encouragement, but he couldn't think of anything to further lift the princess's spirits.

Salin spat after he finished another round of puppets. "Can we get moving?" he grunted.

The princess, trying to ease her mind began to admire the woods for their beauty. The trees were tall and old, and seemingly undisturbed by any pests. No sap could be seen running down the majestic trunks. The soil and grasses felt softer beneath her feet than any other in hyrule. Though it was night, all could see perfectly clearly. The strange mists in the forest seemed to cast an ethereal glow, augmented by the clouds of fireflies darting around, though they hovered far away from the company.

"At least everywhere we've been going looks a little different," the bow-wielding mercenary pointed out, shooting another arrow at the skull kid once they found him again. Just like the last time he was shot the skull kid lofted off his perch and opened another way as he shuffled quickly deeper into the forest.

"You are not giving him a good reason to lead us to any safety," the princess said disapprovingly.

"Perhaps your ladyship has been watching the fireflies," the mercenary named Nel responded in an equally proper tone, almost in a mocking fashion. "Yon skull kid doth not move or open the next path unless he is shot."

"Only speak to her with deepest respect," Salin growled after grabbing the mercenary by the collar and giving him a stern look in the eyes before the company mobilized again. Feeling something cold run past his feet, Salin looked down and saw a crystal clear stream.

"Anyone need a drink?" the zora asked, about to bend down and top off his canteen.

"Barracuda! Stop!" Shailon barked before the guard could get the stopper out. "Ya don' drink or eat anythin' ye foind in a wood such as this!" he cautioned. Seeing the wisdom in the mercenary's warning, he drank a little from what he had in the canteen and showered himself with it, then passed it on to the princess for her to do the same.

After following and shooting the skull kid for what felt like hours the companions were beginning to disdain having to be roped together. Especially the princess, upon whose bare skin the rope rubbed and chafed. Small sparkles were on the rope where they had grabbed and pulled off her loose scales. Salin was needing to use the polearm as much as a walking stick as he did a weapon now. Swinging such a heavy weapon the way he had for so long was taking its toll on his stamina, but a determination to see his lady through these woods gave him the vigor he needed to bring down just one more wave of puppets each time they came.

After some time of travelling, the mercenaries and zoras entered a large clearing, inside of which were the crumbling and moss covered remains of ancient buildings. "He led us _somewhere_ , at least," a mercenary said with a hopeful shrug. Suddenly, thick vegetation sprang up and choked off the way the company came in.

"Steel yourselves!" Salin ordered, readying his polearm while the princess hardened her fins and the mercenaries formed as much of a protective ring around the zoras as they could with their limited mobility afforded by the rope.

The princess's heart slammed against her chest. What new horrors would descend upon them in this forest? Similar vegetation that blocked the entrance now grasped the ankles of all the men.

A child's voice penetrated the still forest air, making all of the travellers start. "I wanna play with the pretty lady. She looks like my friend's mama," the voice said. All of them assumed the voice belonged to the skull kid, who was standing on top of a stump far away from them.

"And if I don't want to play right now?" Ruto asked.

"Then you'll be stuck, too!" the imp answered. Though threatening, the skull kid's voice was still gleeful and childlike.

The princess disguised her rising apprehension with noble bearing. "Will you let us out of the forest if I play with you?" the princess pressed.

"Hmmm… Ok," the skull kid replied. "Come away from those men, they might get hurt," he added.

 _I feel like I may not like this game_ , Ruto thought as she cut the ropes that held her after a moment of hesitation. "What do you want to play?" she queried, fixing her eyes on the skull kid.

"Why, the same one we've been playing all through the forest! It's my favorite," the skull kid chirped happily, blowing a sustained sour note on his trumpet then laughing slightly. His laugh was small and innocent like a child's but it had an eerie, spectral quality to it. The princess quickly buried her fear of the forest that magnified the fear of her danger under a firm responsibility she felt placed upon herself to free her comrades from this place.

About a dozen puppets fell down and surrounded the princess. A moment's hesitation cost her, as one of the puppets swung its arm and hit her in the forehead. Rubbing the welt, the princess felt that the blow was more painful than it should have been. Another puppet swung at her, but this time she grabbed the flailing limb and drove her knee into its chest, knocking the piece loose and causing the whole puppet to collapse upon the ground. The others began to press upon her, and with the fury brought about by a need to survive she leapt into the air and spun in a lethal fin bladed tornado, destroying all of the puppets.

The skull kid blew another very long sour note, sending another group of puppets. This time, Ruto avoided using her spin attack, knowing that doing so would make her dizzy quickly. Instead she lunged toward the two in front of her, placing her bladed fins into their wooden chests. Tearing away to gain distance, she whirled around to face the group of puppets, now bumping into each other to reach her. Her necklaces and rings on her head fins jingled when she turned on her heel, and again when she charged the frontmost puppets.

 _Reminds me of the practice dummies I used to train against,_ she thought. The easiness of this fight invigorated her. She began to use more complex moves. She hurled her weight at the one nearest to her and wrapped her legs around it while she cut the strings suspending the monster. She pitched her weight backwards and broke her fall with a roll while at the precise time she released the puppet and sent it sprawling into four others behind, destroying them. Then she roundhouse kicked another that was floating toward her. "It looks almost like a dance," Nel commented in awe of the gracefulness of the flowing style of the princess's hand-to-hand combat training.

Bumping a puppet sharply, the princess tested how durable these monsters were. It moved very slightly. Leaping away, she then sprinted toward this puppet and then up its chest. She slashed her fins at the strings and severed them at the same time as she hurled herself from its chest to another puppet, repeating the attack multiple times until she landed with a flip next to the skull kid. Behind her, all of the puppets were now lying in heaps upon the ground which then vanished into vile plumes of black smoke.

"Are we done now?" she asked, breathing heavily.

"Nope!" the skull kid chirped, now blowing the most long and sustained note he had yet, pouring all of the air from his lungs into his instrument, only to inhale sharply and do so again. A legion of puppets now stood behind the bewildered princess.

"Just like training dummies," she told herself as she bounded into combat once again. She hacked, slashed, stabbed, countered, and kicked, but the overwhelming odds were too much for her. Soon a rain of wooden limbs were pummeling the princess. She screamed in pain while she sunk to the ground.

" _You insolent runt_!" Salin bellowed viciously, seizing a dagger from one of the mercenary's belts and throwing it with deadly accuracy at the skull kid. When he was hit, all of the puppets fell lifeless to the ground. After they all vanished, Ruto could be seen cowering, curled up in a magenta mass trying to shield herself as much as she could. "Princess!" Salin gasped, trying to cut away at the vines holding his legs, only to have more grow in their place.

The guard's eyes burned when he saw the skull kid light upon the fork of a dead tree. He inhaled and was about to blow once again. "No mercy," Salin growled in darkest fury, prodding the bow-armed mercenary who nodded in understanding. Before skull kid finished with his note, the arrow struck him in the head. The being toppled from the tree and fell to the ground, vanishing in a cloud of dead leaves.

A faint child's crying could be heard reverberating through the ruins. "I _hate_ playing with grown-ups! You never play fair! Get out of my forest and don't come back! Hmmph!" the wounded voice of the skull kid sobbed.

Salin shoved aside the mercenaries and rushed to his princess's aid when the vines released his ankles. "Are you alright milady?" he asked gently, helping her stand. Wordlessly, she leaned on her guard who embraced her with strong arms protectively.

"Sir, look!" Tarka gasped, pointing to a now open archway. Inside was what appeared to be another part of the forest, though not as thick as the part they were in.

Ruto consulted her compasses before entering, and finding that they indicated the archway was the way they should go, she sighed in relief and entered, the men following her. "Et's the Minish Woods! Thas mushrooms groh nowhar else!" Shailon cried excitedly. "Ahh. We're safe here. We won't see nae mar than an octorok to bother os," he paused when he saw Ruto hide her yawning mouth with a webbed hand. "Jost as well, ye haven' slept t'dae. Let's torn in far the night. Wae'll taek the watches," the mercenary said.

"I hear flowing water. Can we go closer to the river?" Ruto asked groggily, moving in that direction, not waiting for any answer from the others. Ruto slid into the river near a rock where the current wouldn't carry her away, joined immediately by Salin. The princess sighed contentedly as the cool water flowed over and soothed her bruises from the fight. Her guard moaned when he saw few stars in a sky that was beginning to turn lighter. "A few hours at least," the princess sighed quietly as she drifted to sleep.

Salin, on the other hand, would not sleep. He approached the mercenaries as they lit their fire and huddled around it. "Not tired?" he asked, throwing down his helmet and planting his polearm into the ground. All five mercenaries looked at him with a start, as none of them saw or heard him approach. "Come on boys, I'm not gonna rack you," the guard dismissed in a crude form of hylian spoken in the mercenary camps. Their eyes still watched as he took his seat. "Divvying the pay already, huh?" Salin asked as he saw Nel hurriedly stuff a paper into his tunic.

"Hey, I was wrong to distrust you. You boys are all right. Here," he said, proffering a small flash. "This stuff you can't get very often. A token of my goodwill."

"Gie it here," Shailon grunted, holding out a hand for the flask. "Och, where are mai mannars? The one thah' kept os aloive through tha woods desarves the farst drink," he said graciously, tossing the flask back to the zora.

"Alright, more for me," he said with a grin, undoing the stopper and taking a few gulps. Sighing deeply in contentment, he passed the drink along. "Save it for special occasions. I think escaping a bewitched forest counts as special enough, eh?"

The mercenary who first took a drink widened his eyes in surprise. "I can see why you do! This stuff could pull the sun from the sky!" he declared in astonishment, about to take another gulp before the man next to him snatched it and took a drink.

"Oh, that's good. I haven't had a good drink in weeks!"

The drink flowed freely among the five men until the flask was empty. "I tell ya," Tarka proclaimed. "When I get paid, I'm gonna get a whole case of that stuff."

The corner of Salin's mouth tilted up. "If you got the whole pay you might be able to afford one bottle. It ain't cheap."

Nel belched loudly. "Yeah he could afford a whole case!" he countered.

"Nel!" Shailon barked harshly.

"Oh, I'd love to hear about something that could buy a whole case of shimmer," Salin said, raising half his brow inquisitively.

"Way to go, genius," grunted one of the men while jabbing Nel sharply with his elbow.

"I'll keep a lid on it if you let me in. I can't pass up ludicrous money like that!" the zora hissed, shooting a look toward the river where the princess was sleeping.

"Alright," Tarka whispered. "We're not going to take her to Gleight, at least not right away. There are a few clans out here that would love to pay for a figure of hyrulean royalty to put up for ransom. We'll take her to one, sell her off, spring her, move to the next and so on until we get to Gelight and get our normal pay. You know, a ransom ratchet."

"Excellent idea!" Salin piped, though his heart sank when he heard footsteps behind him.

"So, you greedy eels couldn't be content with what Cyrus would pay you? I was a fool to trust all of you!" the princess spat. "Especially you _starrah_ ," she added icily to Salin calling him a traitor in her native tongue.

"Can't blame me when my pay is so low, princess," Salin said with a smirk, rising to his feet with the rest of the mercenaries. Attempting to flee, Ruto ran for the river, but her large flipperlike feet were no match for mercenaries that had their eyes on such a prize. Hastily they brought her to the ground and bound her fast.

"Jahs' leh' us do as we loike, ahn' wei wohn' have any trouble," Shailon warned. "Firs' watch, Nel," he declared, climbing into the bedroll he had just prepared for himself. Resigning herself to her fate, for now, Ruto closed her eyes and fell into an uneasy rest.

The company awoke with the afternoon sun. The ropes she was tied with were biting into Ruto's flesh. She attempted to loosen the knots, but to no avail. She turned away when Salin came to give her a porridge breakfast.

"Eat up, it'll be all you get for a while," he ordered, leaning closer.

"I will not be spoon fed by an urchin such as you!" she said coldly in her royal's voice.

"Careful now!" Salin yelped when she bumped him and sent hot oatmeal all over the guard. "Now I gotta…" he murmured, looking back at several comatose mercenaries. "I'm not usually one for subversive tactics, but they were too easy," he added, cutting away at some of the princess's ropes. Ruto fixed a withering stare at her guard. "I put shimmer in the oatmeal. I think you know what happens to that stuff when you heat it up. It becomes something much more than a simple liquor," he explained, freeing the last strand and with lightning reflex grabbing the princess's ankle before she could flee.

"You were right that you were a fool to trust them, Ruto, but you were a fool _not_ to trust me," Salin said, maintaining a strong grip.

"Let go," Ruto ordered, hardening her fins and pointing them toward Salin's hand.

"I only did it to try and get out of them what they're going to do to you. I needed them to trust me. I never trusted them…" he began, but heard one of the mercenaries stirring. "Run! To the river! Swim upstream, I'll catch up. _Alihu shan'kai dahise_!" My blood runs for the crown.

At hearing the the age-old proclamation of fealty for the zoran royal family that Salin had never uttered before in his life, Ruto took heart to the valiance of her guard. She knew she could waste no time and sprinted for the river. Silently, she prayed to whatever god was over this place to protect Salin. Her heart froze when she heard steel clashing against steel and a cry of pain. It sounded to her like her guard's voice but she staunched her worry when the sounds of banging steel continued to ring out.

A strong hand grasped Ruto's head's fishtail. She screamed in pain at the pull and fell to the dirt. Looking up, the princess saw Shailon standing over her with a little haze in his eyes from the effect of the shimmer. Without any further hesitation, she rolled to the side and summoned the ample muscle in the fishtail dragging him to the side where she slashed at his wrist with her fins. The mercenary howled in pain and released. Before he could recover, the princess dove into the river. Even while swimming upstream she easily outpaced the mercenaries.

Some time passed while Princess Ruto waited anxiously for Salin's return, but he did not come. She had stopped at a bend in the river with a large rocky rise from which she could see into the mat of forest and if her guard had left it. Another hour passed and still no Salin.

Long hours of waiting told her that Salin had been killed. Grief overtook the princess. "Farewell, Salin Bluescale. You're valiance to your people and your devotion to me will not be forgotten," she said in reverence. Her heart pained at the loss of the zora that she had come to befriend on this journey. Not normally one for song, she began to sing a zoran mourning dirge. Her song rang across the rocks in the clear waters of the river. Her emotions ran so high and she gave such attention to the song that she didn't hear a boat crash near the bottom of the rise she was on top of.

Tears now flowed freely from the princess's eyes. "First Lord William and now Salin," she sighed miserably. "Must I bear so much loss so close together in my life?" Drawing a deep breath, she began to sing another funeral song, but this time she could hear hoofbeats thunder toward the shore. The sound was amplified just as well as her voice was in the craggy shores of this part of the river. Standing up, she saw that a dozen and a half riders were heading her way. They all had one shade or another of orange hair and all dressed in the skins of animals, but of what kind she could not tell.

Soon the riders had all surrounded her. They all stared hard at her and threateningly pointed their lances toward her. "What is the meaning of this?" she demanded in her royal's voice.

One rider pointed to the princess while addressing one of his companions, this one armored in chainmail. "I told you! You heard her singing, and you know of just how many wrecked boats are in this part of the river!" he said excitedly.

"We're lucky we were far enough away or we might have fallen under her spell, too," another rider chimed in.

"Spell? I do not know what you…" the princess began and protest, but was cut off by a sharp order from the apparent leader of the party to gag and bind her, gagging first.

"We'll see what the laird wants to do with you," he said to the princess after she was secured and set in the saddle behind a different rider. She submissively held her position, too grief stricken to want to struggle for freedom at this time.

Ruto took this opportunity the ride provided to examine the highlands. It was a beautiful land with emerald grasses flowing over rocky hills with occasional trees reaching tall for the sky. The air was crisp and fresh with the clean feeling that comes soon after a rain.

A short ride later, they entered a city surrounded by stone walls. Inside were many buildings with thatched roofs occupied by orange-haired citizens looking out the windows at their raiding party to see what quarter they had brought in today. Children clambered near the riders, some going directly for their fathers. Once all eighteen of the riders had entered, the gates shut behind them with a deep boom.

Many eyes lingered on the princess as they neared the keep. She did not acknowledge them however, and either focused straight ahead or downward onto the saddle she was sitting on. Guards swung the doors to the keep open and allowed the now dismounted riders to file in, except for one who held Ruto at swordpoint. The princess strained to hear what was going on inside.

She could not make out any words, but she heard at least two others speaking with the leader of the party. Eventually, one rider came out and dragged the princess in and set her in the center of the floor of a spacious, albeit spartan throne room. The only decorations were some forest green banners stitched with golden thread dragons hanging from some balconies. Atop a small platform a curtain was drawn, behind which silhouettes two figures could be seen. One was large and mighty in appearance, and while the other was tall and muscular as well, he was more toned than the other.

"You stand accused, Lady Lorelei," the larger of the two said in a voice that sounded similar to Cyrus, but more husky. The princess was puzzled. Who was Lady Lorelei? The larger of those behind the curtain spoke again. "You may hear the charge against you."

The head rider stood forth and announced loudly for all to hear. "We found this witch atop the Mourning Rock. Several fresh riverboat wrecks were on the rocks below, one we heard with our own ears take place while she was in the midst of a song. I do not need to tell any present here the legend of the Lorelei the River Queen, the Lady over the Mourning Rock that sings enchanting songs that sailors find irresistible, causing them to steer toward the rocks and crash," he proclaimed. The princess's eyes narrowed. This was certainly a strange charge.

The larger figure behind the curtain answered the accusation, "This is indeed a grave crime. I find it akin to murder, and as such the punishment is death. The task of bringing justice shall fall to the laird's-heir," he announced. Ruto squeaked through her gag in horror as she saw the shape of the second figure rise from his seat and draw his sword. The man that stepped from the curtain stood taller than most of those around him. His hair was a dull rust color, not nearly as bright orange as most of those in the chamber. He had blue woad paint running in two lines that ran over his eyes and tapered to points near his chin. He was dressed in animal skins, and a bear claw could be seen resting just above his shoulder. When he saw just who it was, his bright sapphire eyes locked with the princess's cool black ones.

He looked utterly speechless as he began to descend the stairs and approach the princess. She felt as if her heart would leap from her chest. The joy she felt now completely overwhelmed and obliterated her feelings of loss and mourning earlier. The man then looked sternly around at the court and raiders assembled, then sheathed his sword and proclaimed decisively, "I refute the charges!"

Gasps and murmurs of astonishment sounded among all of those gathered while the princess's eyes began to water in tears of joy. "Perhaps you have fallen under her spell, son," the large man still behind the curtain warned, with a loving sternness of a father, rising up himself.

The one before Ruto looked back and said in answer, "A spell it may be," he began, when sunlight from the window glinted off a pendant he wore, three golden crescents back to back with one another with large and perfectly crafted sapphires within their hollows. "But it is not the spell of the Lorelei, father."

The large man drew the curtain aside. His facial features were the same as his son's, though he wore a thick beard and his eyes showed the care and firmness of a laird over one of the clans of the Tribly Highlands.

"Untie her!" the son ordered.

"Cyrus, you still don't know…" the large man replied with a raised hand to halt those about to release the Princess.

"I do!" Cyrus barked in protest, undoing the bonds himself, his hands trembling as he did so.

"Laird Bruga, should we aid or stop him?" asked a hesitating guard.

"Leave him, but be ready should anything be amiss," the laird ordered.

Finally free, the princess placed her hands on the sides of Cyrus's face and pulled him close. "I have no words," she whispered, drawing him in until she kissed him, and then they embraced. Laird Bruga stared in disbelief at the two. Cyrus had not mentioned Ruto the whole time since he had returned to Gleight.

Interrupting the whole scene, the door was flung open and a very angry zora with a long fresh cut drawn across his face burst in. Behind him could be heard the commotion of guards pursuing him. "Princess, you're safe!" he gasped in relief. "More than, if I should say so," he added when he saw Cyrus. A sharp look from the laird's-heir froze all of the soldiers that were behind the guard.

"You're here, too?" Cyrus cried happily, walking toward him with Ruto still in one arm.

Booming loudly, Laird Bruga shouted, "What's all this?"

The highlander prince finally released the princess and looked sheepishly to his father. "Deepest apologies, father. I was so consumed at seeing her, I…" his voice choked.

To finish for him, Ruto came forth. "Your son Cyrus and I are husband and wife," she explained. Bruga's jaw fell open. "I am Princess Ruto over the zora tribe. My father is King Ralis, lord and defender over Zora's Domain and the zoran people," Ruto introduced. "I must say, I am honored to meet my father in law for the first time," she added, bowing the same graceful bow she had shown the commoner in the streets of Castle Town, done with much grace and elegance while she fanned out her fins to appear all the more majestic.

"Cyrus," the laird said soberly as he approached his son and daughter in law he never knew he had. "This is happy news in our time of trouble!" he continued, placing large hands on shoulders of both Ruto and Cyrus. "A princess over her people, she is indeed fair to look upon, and so tall! The best , though Cyrus, is that I can see the love in your eyes and in hers."

Then, with tears he announced loudly, "You see my son, the laird's-heir of Clan Gleight and his wife, the Princess Ruto of the Zoras. Though a people we know little of, she is welcome to our lands and into my house!"

A similar reaction to what Cyrus received when King Ralis announced the marriage between himself and Ruto erupted from the crowd. Most cheered, some gaped in disbelief, others shook their heads in disgust. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruto could see a beautiful highlander woman look toward Cyrus, then to the princess, and then down at herself and then ran crying from the keep.

Bruga spoke to the lovers again. "You may be married after the ways of hylians or… zoras, but you are not for us. You shall be wed as highlanders are tomorrow, but until then you have separate rooms.

Salin snickered. "All this time you were separated and now you can't even-"

"Salin!" both the laird's-heir and princess barked sharply.

 **"** **I was only going to say that you can't be together," he hastily corrected, though he was answered by a skeptical scoff from Cyrus. "By the way, you may want to send someone down the river. It looks like your town drunk crashed his boat out there. He's laying on the shore with about six empty ale bottles around him. I got him breathing again, but I don't think he can walk anytime soon."**


	7. Chapter 7

"Why did you leave, Cyrus?" Ruto asked as she, Cyrus, and Salin walked down a tapestry lined hall. These fabric images depicted in vibrant and resplendent colors many lairds and other heros of the Gleight Clan facing vile monsters of all kinds, and even other lairds. Because Cyrus and his wife had been separated for some time, Laird Bruga dismissed his son to show his beloved around their keep and their city. Salin had opted to come "to keep an eye on them."

"Pardon?" the lairds-heir asked when his attention wandered.

"You wounded me deeply when you left, dearest. The fact that you kept the Zora's Sapphire as a token of your devotion softened the blow a little, but you still left without explaining yourself," Ruto repeated and elaborated, looking up at Cyrus.

"I'm still not quite sure myself, Ruto," the highlander confessed with a heavy sigh. "I think it may have been that while I was ruling as a prince over your people, I was constantly reminded that I also had a responsibility to rule over my clan, and I had turned my back on them. It made me feel… guilty."

"Did you feel the same way when you left Zora's Domain?" Ruto replied, though not unkindly.

Cyrus paused a moment before he answered. "Not nearly as much, to tell the truth." Ruto nodded soberly. She understood why he felt the way he did, but it was still something she did not like to hear.

"I just didn't feel as… welcome among your people. What zora would want a barbarian Trilby Highlander to rule over them? The most painful part of leaving the zoras was leaving you, lass."

"Lass?!" Ruto repeated, bewildered. Cyrus had never called her this before.

"Sorry m'dear, I've picked up some of the language of the land since I've come back," he said in apology.

"You've only been here a few days," Salin mumbled as he examined another tapestry as if he were uninterested in the prince and princess. The hero on this one was dressed in green and had blond hair; he looked a lot like the hero of legend. Other than that any resemblance to the hero, who Salin presumed this tapestry to depict, ended. That and the fact he appeared to be fighting a goron bare knuckled, since the hero never fought gorons.

"We assumed that you just felt caged by the throne and your responsibilities and wanted to get out," he added in a more audible voice. "That's why we checked the mercenary camp and Castle Town first."

"You took Ruto to the mercenary camp?" Cyrus demanded, looking sternly at the zoran guard. "You should be glad I wasn't there, if anyone laid a hand on her anywhere…"

"I didn't let her come in!" Salin shouted testily over Cyrus vow. Then he chortled slightly. "But I had to tie her a tree to make sure she didn't!" The highlander's expression softened, and then cracked a small grin. "I guess you'd have to, if she had her mind set on it."

Ruto looked indignantly at the two men. "Yes, and I was found by that Tsobar fellow while I was there. He was gentlemanly enough, but when we met with him again…" she said. Soon she had related the whole of the events between their leaving the mercenary camp and then Castle Town. Cyrus was especially amazed at how they had escaped the mercenary blockade in Hyrule's capital.

"That was quite a feat," he commented. "Especially before the townsfolk came to your aid."

Their conversation was interrupted when Cyrus had indicated the zoras' quarters, each right next to the other. "I'll be sure that they get tubs in here for you. It may not exactly be what you're both used to…" he said as he pulled the door open by an iron ring. It groaned loudly in protest as he pulled.

"You need to oil that," Salin pointed out critically, pushing and pulling on it to repeat the sound.

"Actually, it's supposed to be that way," the highlander explained, walking into the room. "The hinges on chamber doors in highland castles are built slightly too small so they will squeak when opened. It's a security measure so that no assassin can get in undetected. You'll also notice that your 'windows' are too narrow for anyone to slip through."

Salin nodded in approval. "I think I could appreciate that."

"That reminds me: your father said that these were dark times in the highlands. What's going on? Are the clans at war?" Ruto asked, looking around her room. Rather than the coral and beautifully carved stonework she was used to, her chambers exhibited sturdy, although not necessarily attractive stone bricks. The bed was made of logs with soft furs for blankets and mattress. The furniture was made in the highlander style, with various fierce animals with mouths open in snarls on the corners. The rug on the floor was also made of fur. Overall, the princess thought it would look more beautiful to someone that preferred the rugged design over the delicate craftsmanship she was used to. That or the highlanders preferred comfort of body and not so much comfort for their eyes.

"Och, the clans are always at war. That's nothing new. There's something else afoot…" the lairds-heir dismissed then trailed off.

"What is it?" both zoras pressed. Cyrus looked away, then breathed a shaky sigh. "Beings of darkness have taken Old Hyrule. Their influence is spreading rapidly. We've been trying to unite the clans against them. It's a desperate ploy, but it's our only chance of success. If they would we could stop this tide before it spreads into New Hyrule, but the clans are so hung up on their petty squabbles that some even gone so far as to _join_ the very forces that would destroy them!" the highlander explained, his voice and anger rising as he went on. His temper smoothed when Ruto placed one of her webbed hands on his shoulder.

"A grave matter indeed, my love," she admitted, not knowing what else she could say to help her husband feel better.

Salin appeared to be deep in thought. "Milord, if I may," he began to get Cyrus's attention.

"You know I don't like to be called that," the highlander said.

"Yes, I do," the zora dismissed absently. "Hyrule is in an era of peace. Our armies in Zora's Domain are not needed there right now. As head of the zoran army I would offer our assistance. This could be the chance to prove my… er… the Zora Crown's new training."

"That's really something you should speak to the king about," Ruto said.

Cyrus nodded in affirmation. "She's right, Salin. Besides, if the clans should fail to hold the rising darkness we would need you back in Hyrule to help there."

Salin looked very seriously into his friend's eyes, as if to bring his soul out. " _Shahoye_ , you always were a great fighter, I know none who can handle a blade as well as you can. Neither have I known anyone that could actually fight with a shield, but you never were a very good tactician," he replied, opening with a Zoran term pertaining to a friend that one had great and deep respect for. "It's better to stop an army in its beginning before they're invigorated by a victory. Even if they haven't been weakened by other battles."

Cyrus shook his head. "I'd rather not talk about this right now. It's nearly all that my father and I have been discussing since I came back. Even as important as it is I've wanted something to take my mind off of it," he said, casting a quick glance at Ruto.

"You have a big party tomorrow for that," Salin responded to bring attention back to the previous subject. He moved in front of Cyrus. "Growing darkness is not something that deserves to be buried for a while just because you want to. I would expect you of all people to know that, Laird of Work-Before-Pleasure."

The highlander took a deep breath to curb the rising frustration. "Yes, Salin. I do know that. But we haven't been _doing_ anything about it. All that's been done right now is placating one clan after another to keep them talking long enough to even concern themselves with what's been happening here. It's the politics that I want a break from," he explained. "I can't put up with that headache. I was never meant to be a ruler," the lairds-heir added quietly.

"Isn't Bruga handling most of the politics right now anyway?" Salin asked.

"Yes, he is. Unfortunately for me, he says I need to 'catch up' on however many years of court experience that I've missed, so I've been to every meeting, met with every dignitary, kissed every…" the highlander stopped himself.

Ruto's own court experience had taught her just how gruelling such meetings could be. "I understand how difficult it is to endure such things, dearest," she said in a soothing voice, not meaning to sound condescending. She knew that condescension greatly annoyed her husband, but she didn't know how else to lead his thoughts away from what troubled him. "It's a wonder you even had the time or energy to hire mercenaries to bring me here…"  
"What mercenaries?" Cyrus asked sharply as he froze.

"Shailon and a few other rupee grubbers," Salin grunted.

"I didn't hire any mercenaries!" the highlander growled.

Somehow, the princess was relieved by this assertion. Most likely because of their dishonorable conduct in trying to use her for what they called a "ransom ratchet." Which conduct she informed Cyrus of.

"Just another problem to the stack," the lairds-heir murmured. "You've had two mercenary companies after you in the last week alone, what's more, led by men I've never trusted. You were right indeed to assume that Tsobar wouldn't bring you to Zora's Domain and it's very fortunate you found out Shailon before he could carry out his plan. Even if he could go through with the ratchet, I still don't think you would have ended up here. Someone really wants your scales, bonnie."

Ruto began to see just how grave of circumstances she was in. "Two mercenary companies… Excessive force…" the princess murmured absently, her gills fluttering nervously.

"Not to worry, milady," Salin announced briskly with great confidence, causing the princess to start. "I've kept you safe all the rest of this journey and I won't let any ill befall you now!"

"Nor I, lass. I'd give my own life for you," Cyrus added. Ruto smiled at both men. Cyrus drew his sword and clanked the flat against Salin's polearm once on each side then sheathed the weapon. "Steel oath," the highlander said to answer the princess's confused look.

"Something that some mercenaries do. 'As binding as blood without the mess,' they would say," the zoran guard added.

A deep cough rumbled down the hall, turning the attention of all three to Bruga who stood at the other end. "Do you zoras find the quarters to your liking?" he asked in his husky voice as he strode down the hall.

"Yes, laird. They're very…" Ruto replied, the last word catching on her tongue.

The laird shifted his weight. "Probably not what you're used to. I understand. Is there anything else you need?"

"A zora needs to swim once in a while," Salin said quietly.

Bruga looked to him. "You _need_ to?" he asked.

"Look at us, laird. The fish in us needs to be kept alive, too," the guard explained, met with a disapproving look from Ruto for his gruffness.

"You could try the bath houses until we can get tubs in your rooms," the laird suggested. "It might not be a 'swim,' but it will keep you wet. How often do you need them?"

Salin rubbed his skin, and when no film lifted with his hand he answered, "Not for a while yet, but thank you."

Bruga nodded and then turned to Ruto and offered his arm. "I will show you the rest of our home for the next while. Cyrus has other duties to attend to."

The lairds-heir fiddled with the Zora's Sapphire before asking, "What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to arrange an embassy to the Lodhai clan. They are swaying in the favor of the Galhedda clan. I want you to make sure it stays that way. You always were better with a pen than I was."

"Yes, father," the lairds-heir answered with a level tone to disguise his true feelings, a trick he had learned from Ruto. Once Bruga had his back turned Cyrus dragged a hand across his face.

"You highlanders are much more diplomatic than I ever would have thought. I always assumed you were a bloodlusty pack of berserkers," Salin commented.

Cyrus turned and began to walk toward the stairs that would lead to his private chambers. "Yes, it is very unusual for the clans to engage in diplomacy with each other. We usually just fight our problems out, but we want as many able bodied men to fight the rising darkness. We can't destroy our fighting force trying to get a larger one," he explained as he began to climb the stairs. "Coming?" he asked Salin.

"Sorry, but I need to attend to the princess and let you get to your work," the zora answered with a grin, following the laird and the princess.

"She'll be fine with him! My fa is perfectly capable of…" Cyrus trailed, knowing that Salin wasn't going to come back. SIghing in frustration he took a heavy seat at his desk and unrolled a sheet of parchment and began to write.

"Impressive," Ruto commented, looking out from one of the higher towers of the keep over the thriving city of Gleight. The buildings below were not organized in any particular fashion, as far as she could tell, and the overall appearance was rather drab, but what the princess found impressive was how well defended the city was. From the tower she could see that the walls were thick and strong. Patrols were vigilant upon the walls and inside the city, carefully watching for a surprise attack in the hills beyond or for thefts inside respectively.

Bruga looked out as well, seeing things slightly differently than the princess. He saw various points of strategic advantage within the city. He saw every flaw in the defences and how they could be corrected or compensated for, and even in a few cases turned to an advantage. He saw a relatively contented populace that was set at unease because of what lurked in the walls of Old Castle Town. The wedding of his son tomorrow, he hoped, would be enough to raise their spirits.

"This is where my husband grew up," Ruto added deeply, as if imagining just what sort of life he lived here.

"Not for much more than half of his years," Bruga added wistfully. "I always hoped that he would succeed me in the lairdship one day. When he ran away, it was devastating for all of us."

"I can imagine. Losing a family member is never an easy thing to deal with," Ruto sympathized, remembering how she felt when her mother had died.

"Not just for his family, but his people. Lairds of the Gleight clan have always made it a point to make sure the citizenry knows just who rules them. People are more willing to fight alongside a friend. When he left, it was like a member of the family left not only us, but them as well," the laird explained with some bitterness in his voice.

"So your people must have been as overjoyed as you were when my d- Cyrus came back," Ruto said, still looking over the city.

"Overjoyed, but untrusting," Bruga replied, tugging on his beard. "When you haven't seen someone for however many years they're not always the same person that left. Especially if they had been a mercenary in that time. When Cyrus came back, I wondered if he was still my son."

"Was he?" the princess asked, now turning to face the laird.

"The overall whole was, I suppose," Bruga answered with a sigh. "He was still the honorable and responsible man that I raised him to be."

Salin, who had posted himself near the stairs scratched his chin. _He certainly is much softer and more open than I would have expected a highland laird to be,_ he thought. _But then again, that may be because he tries to make it a point to be on a personal level with his subjects._

"Tell me a little bit about yourself, lassie. Just who is the young lady that my Cyrus has married?" the laird asked.

Ruto was taken a little off-guard by the question. "I... well…"

"You certainly are a pretty one. How did he meet up with you?"

The princess blushed slightly. When memories of how childish she had acted when she met Cyrus even though she was a full-grown and by all other accounts mature woman surfaced they made her stomach churn in revulsion. Bruga noticed the princess's demeanor. "If it's a painful tale, that's a bad sign," the laird pointed out, his already stern face growing more serious.

"Parts of that story are painful, but not in the way you may think," Ruto answered so quietly it was almost in a whisper. Her eyes returned to the steel blue ones of the laird. "It was painful because I acted like a lovesick little child when we met. There was no proper courtship, we hadn't even spent a whole twenty four hours in each other's presence… _lursross_ , we hadn't even spent a whole twenty four _minutes_ in each other's presence when I proposed to him, and he didn't even know that I did."

Salin was stunned at the princess's use of strong language.

"This sounds like it may be an interesting tale," Bruga rumbled, folding his arms and raising an eyebrow.

"That may be the best word I can think of for it," Ruto admitted. Soon, under the imposing presence of Laird Bruga she found herself relating the tale of how she and Cyrus had come to marry each other.

"Often I would sneak away from Zora's Domain, my home city. I suppose I felt as constricted by the lifestyle of royalty as Cyrus did; that and I felt trapped all the time because I wasn't usually allowed to leave Zora's Domain unless on business for 'safety reasons,' as my father often said. One day while I was out on my own a pack of lizalfos spotted me. I could easily take down a few of them myself, but there were over a dozen of them. I ran as fast as I could to escape. I almost made it to the river where I could easily outpace them and get away when I tripped over a rock," she began. She saw Bruga look quickly at her feet and his expression change almost imperceptibly.

Ignoring his glance, the princess continued her narrative. "There were only two of them by then, but I was still as good as defenseless while laying on the ground. To my relief, I saw a red-haired mercenary-your son-charge the two lizalfos and dispatch them without much trouble. I can't tell you how grateful I was to your son for his rescue. I'm sure you know that some strange connection often forms between rescued and rescuer, and as such I felt an attraction to Cyrus.

"Something in my mind connected as well. Something from an awful romance-help book that I had read that said that if you find yourself attracted to a man let him know that you desire marriage, even if neither you nor he have plans for it at that time," she laughed in both mirth and self-derision that she had ever followed such advice. Salin laughed as well, thoroughly enjoying how ludicrous his princess had been. Bruga, on the other hand, twisted his face in disgust.

"As such," the princess continued, "I gave him the token of a zora prince or princess to the one they would marry. The very medallion that your son wears now. Before Cyrus could even properly respond to this, I had dove into the river and swam away. I had realized just how foolish I was, but something possessed me to continue to act the way I did. Almost a week later I found Cyrus camped at Lake Hylia. I had prepared breakfast for him and made other preparations for the next part of his journey. I would have stayed with him, though this did not happen because a guard found me and brought me back to Zora's Domain so I couldn't remain by my dearest-er-Cyrus's side.

"Days later, I met Cyrus and a friend of his upon his next arrival to Lake Hylia. They were planning on venturing to the Lakebed Temple, a sacred place to my people that lies at the bottom of the lake, as the name suggests. I was never more than a few feet away from Cyrus nearly the whole time, holding his hand or clinging to him. He certainly didn't appreciate my direct manner and he let me know. As foolish as I felt, I kept acting the same way. With my help, all three of us made it inside the Lakebed Temple. It was _only_ because I could be of assistance that Cyrus didn't drive me off immediately. I'm glad he didn't," she quickly added when Bruga's expression hardened.

"In the course of our exploration of the temple we bedded down for the night. I was so cold there that I had joined Cyrus in his bedroll. I can tell you that he was absolutely livid to have a woman in the same roll as he was that he was not married to. This time he didn't hold back and he told me in no unclear and very harsh terms that he didn't share my apparent feelings for him. This wounded me deeply, and so I left him and took the medallion from him.

"How embarrassed I was to find that I went through the wrong door. Instead of going toward the exit of the temple, I went deeper into it. Feeling it would be too awkward to go back past Cyrus and his friend, I stayed where I was and thought about how I had acted. I came to realize following that advice in the romance help book was a mistake. I decided then and there to discard entirely any of its advice. When I had finally resolved to go back to Cyrus and ask his forgiveness, I was captured by River Zoras."

Bruga's eyes widened at the mention of old enemies. "You have them where you're from as well, do you?" he asked.

Ruto nodded once. "They are in fact, an offshoot of my people. Hard to believe considering how different we are, is it not? One people is beautiful and amiable, while the other is hideous and violent. If I may continue my narrative, Laird Bruga?"

"Please," the laird conceded. The hardness of his expression was now softening as the princess went on and he learned more details of his son's relationship.

"The River Zoras confiscated all my jewelry, as well as threatened many grievous things against me. Those threats the River Zoras made to me were horrible beyond reasoning, so I will not discuss them. Some time later, I was dragged into the main audience hall where I found that Cyrus and his friend had been captured as well. Cyrus tried to apologize for his harsh manners earlier, and I would have liked nothing more than to have accepted his apologies for I knew we were both in the wrong but I knew it was better to keep my mouth shut.

"The River Zora king came and examined all three of us, reaching Cyrus last. The vile king insulted your city, and this combined with the threats he made against the other two of his traveling companions exceeded his patience and he challenged the River Zora king to a ritual duel." Again, Bruga reacted to what he had heard, appearing proud of his son but also surprised with how seriously he had responded to the River Zora's threats.

"I helped your son put on his dueling paint before the fight began, at which time I took an opportunity to discuss with Cyrus how I had acted. Both of us apologized to each other profusely.

"Your son fought valiantly against the River Zora King, and for the sake of retrieving an artifact known as the Water Medallion which had to be taken by one of a certain bloodline, he had his friend strike the killing blow. If I may digress for a moment, my good sir, have there been any River Zora raids within the last four months?" she asked.

Bruga paused for a moment as realization crept into his mind over what Cyrus had done. "No, lass," he replied.

The princess smiled. "It was because of the terms my Cyrus had set for that duel, that the River Zoras cease their attacks on Hyrule, on Gleight, on anyone. After retrieving our things we left the Lakebed Temple and rested ourselves for a while. After which, Cyrus's friend out of nowhere said that Cyrus had feelings for me as well. As evidence he said that it was because he had been so vehement against my own advances, much like how a child in primary school goes out of his way to cause grief to the girl he likes. I could see Cyrus reconciling this within himself, and he came to admit that he was attracted to me.

"Now we both knew that we had feelings for each other, but we did not know if it was true love or childish infatuation. Was I blinded by the fact that I now owed your son my life twice over and my virtue as well?" she asked, more to herself than Bruga. "I suggested that we try our hardest to imagine being separated from each other, and how we would feel after that. As my mother told me, infatuation dissipates over time, but love endures. This certainly was not the best way to determine if you truly love someone, to be sure, but at the time we felt it good enough and I returned the Zora's Sapphire to him. We were married later that week, and the four months following have been some of the happiest in my life. As strange as all of these circumstances were to converge upon one another as they did and that Cyrus and I happen love each other so much I have come to feel that the gods must have had a hand in placing us together," she concluded. Bruga and Salin both stood silent for a moment.

"I agree with you concerning the gods, princess," the laird eventually admitted. "Especially considering your lack of courtship and the success of your relationship nonetheless. Often we think of such a thing only happening in a children's story, but lo. I maintain my blessing to you two to be married after the ways of highlanders. You two truly will be husband and wife after tomorrow," he conceded.

For a moment, the laird stared out over his city before speaking again. "I would love to spend some time to get to know my daughter in law better, but considering the preparations that will need to be overseen, I will leave you for the rest of the day. Until tomorrow, lass, laddie," he said in farewell to the two zoras. He sounded proud of the union that was soon to take place, but at the same time, somewhat suspicious as to whether this decision was the best.

"If you or Cyrus had told me that when you first were hitched I would never have thought your marriage to last longer than a few weeks," the guard bluntly stated.

The princess slowly blinked her eyes. "I think I may have as well if I were in your scales. But here I am, devastated that Cyrus left me, so much so that I endured a number of horrors in a few short days just to be with him again," she continued.

"Here you are, indeed, milady. Victim of the cliche 'love at first sight,'" the guard agreed.

The princess smiled. "I would hardly call myself a 'victim.'"

"Your love for him put you through all this didn't it?" he asked with a grin.

The contrast in the size of her coal black eyes was very noticeable when she narrowed them. "A small price to pay," she answered tersely.

While the princess's eyes narrowed, Salin's widened quickly in realization. "Speaking of prices, you owe your heartstealer your life three times now. If he hadn't been picked to execute you, they probably would have burned your remains as this 'Lady Lorelei,' and then given your fins to whoever brought you here to wear."

"Oh, hush Salin," she answered flatly and descended the stairs, her bodyguard chuckling softly behind her as he followed.

Cyrus looked over the request for embassy he had just written to the Lodhai clan. Satisfied, he blew the ink dry and rolled it up to take to the courier. "Just another one of these in however many days," he murmured grimly. " Meanwhile whatever conjurer is in Old Castle Town is growing his power."

The highlander's thoughts were broken when he heard a loud creak come from a heavy door down the hall. He left his desk to go investigate, and found the door to Ruto's quarters were slightly ajar. "Can I come in, Ruto?" he asked through the crack left open, though no answer came. Pushing the door open, he was surprised to see that it was not Ruto in the quarters, but a cloaked figure with their hood up.

"Intruder!" Cyrus alarmed, drawing his sword and rushing toward the hood. "Hands on your head, and you can keep it," he threatened. Making no response, the hood leapt toward Cyrus and drove five fingerneedles into his right thigh faster than he could react. The small weapons caused searing pain. The highlander howled and lunged toward the assailant, who evaded with ease. "Guards!" he barked, limping through the smart in his leg. Booted footsteps rushed from either side of the corridor and eight highlander warriors barred the hood's path from either side.

Seeing itself surrounded, the hood threw down a deku nut and blinded all of those present. One of the soldiers grunted as if punched in the stomach while another howled as fingerneedles pierced the flesh in his thigh. Once their sight cleared, one guard pulled the fingerneedle that had stuck in the other guard's leg. He licked the tip and spat. "Bee venom. Whoever it was, they weren't after blood," he announced.

"Not ours at least," Cyrus replied as he winced. "Find whoever that was. Go!" he ordered, and instantly seven guards hurried away and began to thoroughly search the area. The eighth was breathing sharply through his teeth and clutching his leg. "Join the search when you can, I'm going to make sure Ruto's alright," the lairds-heir said to him, limping down the hall.

The highlander had a very difficult time with the stairs while the pain throbbed through his leg. Eventually he made it down to the main hall to ask where his father may be; he assumed he was still giving Ruto the tour. Rather than find Bruga, however, he saw a very distraught young highlander woman with tears running down her face, wearing a mixed expression of devastation and rage. Across from her stood Ruto trying to console the young woman while Salin stood to the side, appearing as if he'd rather be in a torture chamber than here.

"What's going on?" Cyrus asked with a grimace, relieved to at least see that whoever was in Ruto's quarters had not harmed her in their flight.

"What happened to you?" Ruto yelped in concern, rushing to Cyrus when she saw the blood soaking through his trousers. Salin glared at her as if she had just left him alone with a screaming infant.

"Some hood was in your quarters and they jabbed me with fingerneedles before they fled," the lairds-heir replied through bouts of pain. "I'll be fine, but what's wrong with Arah?"

"You left me for that… that… _whore_!" the young highlander woman wailed.

The insult was met with a rough backhand from Salin. "I'll not have you speak of the princess in that way," he warned.

"Salin, you're not helping!" Ruto said with great authority. Then turning to Cyrus she said to him quietly, "She says that she was nothing but affectionate toward you and then I swooped in and broke your romance," the princess explained.

"What man wouldn't want a woman who's naked all the time? You're just as shallow as all the other men here!" Arah sobbed bitterly. Salin wrung his polearm to suppress himself.

"Arah," the lairds-heir began, approaching the distraught highlander, dragging his leg behind as he did and wincing as he moved.

"Stay away from me!" she shrieked, pushing Cyrus away. He screamed in pain as he tried to catch himself on his injured leg. The pain caused it to buckle and he almost fell on his back before Salin caught him. "Listen to me, Arah! We were never more than friends. You knew that. We played and studied together as children…"

"You gave me a ring!" Arah cried shrilly, drawing an unadorned white gold ring from her pocket and threw it at Cyrus's feet then turned around. "We were more than friends. You said that yourself," she said icily. Ruto looked at Cyrus with shock on her face. The lairds-heir's mind raced.

"A word of advice, 'princess,'" Arah sneered. "Learn what I did just now, that the laird's-heir of Gleight is nothing more than two-timing heartbreaker!"

Ruto began to recognize this girl now. She was the one that had run crying from the throne room when Bruga had announced that she and Cyrus would be married. She began to consider what her age might be. "Arah," she said softly. The highlander girl whipped around and fixed a cold stare upon the zora. "You don't look to be more than seventeen. Cyrus left Gleight when he was fifteen. That was ten years ago. You were children…"

"What does that matter?" the other woman hissed. "Besides, I thank you that you may think I look young for my age. I'm really twenty three."

The effect of the venom in Cyrus's leg was beginning to subside. "There was no romance between us, Arah," the lairds-heir blunty interrupted. This seemed to cause Arah great pain.

"The ring, Cyrus?" the other questioned emotionlessly.

"A token of affection," he admitted. "Though of friends and not of lovers. I didn't give it to you on my knee. Ruto was right, we were but children when I gave that to you…"

"You are a liar and a cad!" Arah spat, and then stormed from the keep, too angry now to cry.

"Is it true Cyrus?" Ruto asked. "Were you romantically involved with her?"

Before Cyrus could respond, Salin cut in. "This is the exactly why I don't try to hold a steady relationship, Cyrus. Ever since we knew each other you asked me why I didn't have a reason, and here it is! One just can't deal with the fact that there might be someone that you have deeper feelings for and the other one is jealous that you had your eye on someone else at one time."

"I think you may be exaggerating Ruto's reaction a little…" Cyrus risked.

"It's not that you had another woman before you had me, Cyrus, but it's that you never told me before, and that you were engaged to her and never broke it off properly before getting married to me is what bothers me," she answered in a hurt voice.

The lairds-heir could stand on his own now, although the impact points of the fingerneedles made him itch. "I may have given her a ring, but it was not an engagement ring. There were no vows…"

"Were there between us?" Ruto interrupted.

"No," Cyrus admitted, but then quickly added, "But I'm not sure anyone here understands my point. I never meant our relationship to be a romantic one. I thought she knew that, too!"

The princess folder her arms and looked down. "You don't believe me, do you?" the lairds-heir asked hesitantly.

"Cyrus…" she began with some hesitation herself. "A woman does not react as strongly as she did unless she knew for certain what you had told her. It just makes me wonder if you are going to do the same to me one day?" she asked soberly, then she placed something in his hand. "I think you'd best return this thimble to her with your apology…" she stopped when she saw the color drain from the highlander's face.

"That's not a thimble, it's a fingerneedle!" he said, testing the venom. "One of the ones I was stabbed with. How did you get it?"

Concern now was rising in the princess. "I helped her pull it off her finger when I found her here. She told me it was only a thimble. Is this how you were wounded?"

The highlander quickly explained his earlier encounter, and as if to confirm the story, one of his guards came down the stairs holding the same cloak that had been worn by the hood that struck Cyrus. "We couldn't find him, but we found this," he said.

"Where?" Salin demanded, taking the cloak and holding it up. "It is about her size," he added.

The highlander guard then replied, "We found it in the kitchens. As an added measure we searched the quarters where we found her-I suppose we've established your assailant as a woman?"

"Yes," Cyrus confirmed, clenching his fists.

"We found a note left on the dresser. It demanded that the zoras come alone and unarmed, fins tied to the north gate of the city. And we found another one, sir, in your quarters."

"And it said…?" the lairds-heir pressed.

"It was from the princess. It says that she was planning on leaving for Zora's Domain, and that she realized that your romance was bred from childish infatuation. The note also requested that you don't follow and that she would rather not see you again."

"I never wrote that!" Ruto protested vehemently.

"I don't doubt you," Cyrus said with a raised hand. "But I have a feeling Arah is doing more than just trying to drive a wedge between us, hearing what these two notes are saying. Now do you think that I'm a heartbreaker?" he asked, turning to Ruto.

"Not by what Arah said. What she's doing goes beyond the bitterness of a shattered romance that was suspended for ten years…"

"Romance, between the laird's-heir and Lady Arah? Not likely!" the highlander guard scoffed. "They were playmates, at best."

Ruto dragged her webbed hands down her face. "I'm so sorry, dearest for doubting you!" she groaned.

 **"** **No harm was done, bonnie, but you'd best keep your fins hard. Something is amiss…"**


	8. Chapter 8

Sunlight streamed through the windows across Cyrus's face to wake him. Birds were singing joyfully outside to greet the new day. _Today's your big day… again,_ Cyrus thought as he arose and examined himself in a mirror. Very carefully he shaved himself and washed the paint from his face from the day before. The groggy highlander stared at himself in the mirror, though not looking at his reflection.

Taking another moment to come to full wakefulness he grabbed his small jar of blue woad and began to apply it to his face. He had come to wear the paint since returning to his home in Gleight. He felt that it made him look more like a highlander and allowed him to blend back into the lifestyle, though it was not a practice the clansmen engaged in very often anymore. Finishing the design, a stripe running diagonally across his face over his right eye with two bars that ended in points on either side, one running from his forehead and then ending just to the outside of his left eye, while the other started at his jaw and ended below the right eye, he thought to himself, _I hope Ruto likes this design._

Lastly he donned his best shirt, after the highlander style. It was a fine leather shirt with badger skins over each shoulder. Leaving his room, he heard down the stairs a voice that sounded like Salin's. "Hey, princess. There's another cadre of attendants along with Bruga that… _uahahaha_!" he ended with a boisterous laugh. Cyrus descended the stairs quietly to see what his friend was laughing at.

Ruto stood in her chambers dressed in a white robe that highlander brides typically wore on their wedding day. The robe had a few wrinkles in it because the princess was scratching herself all over. "How do Hylians wear this blasted fabric all their lives?!" she cried frantically in annoyance, unused to feeling the wool robe on her skin. Salin was standing off to the side, already dressed in his newly polished armor and with his polearm, stifling further laughter. Cyrus had to stop himself from laughing as well.

Noticing the two men, Ruto looked over with a pitiful expression. "Cyrus, aren't you not supposed to see me until I walk the aisle?" she groaned, standing still for the first time since she had donned the robe. She looked thoroughly uncomfortable. Not only did the robe make her itch, but her fins were crushed inside the sleeves and stuck out past her hands. The sides of the robe were also slightly wet because her gills were venting some water, and while the rest of the robe was not overtly wet, it stuck to the zora's body because she had soaked herself earlier and, as usual, didn't dry herself.

"When can I get out of this?" she cried desperately as she fixed a desperate look on her husband.

Cyrus struggled for a moment to even his expression before answering. "I can see you before the ceremony. There's nothing wrong with that," he finally managed, just as the laird and the group of attendants came in.

Bruga was dressed similarly to Cyrus except he had no face paint and the skins on his shoulders were those of silver wolves. Each of the attendants also wore white robes, though they had red sashes and had their hoods up. They were all bearing perfumes, spices, oils, and other things to prepare the princess for the wedding. Two of the attendants whispered to each other in low voices, with expressions of concern. "...if she can't even get the hood on?" Cyrus heard one of them say.

The laird heaved an exasperated sigh. "I told them to make sure the robe was smooth and pressed," he grumbled.

"It was when they brought it!" Ruto yelped, fighting off another bout of itching, causing her jewelry to jingle in her furious movement. "Can't you marry us right here so _I can get this off_?!" she shrieked. She fixed cold eyes on Cyrus and Salin, though she said nothing. Trying to adjust the robe for a more comfortable position, she murmured, "Even when I need to go to the high society parties and _have_ to wear a dress they're not this bad!"

"Is there nothing you can do, father?" Cyrus asked quietly, leaning toward Bruga. The laird scratched his chin and watched the attendants delicately see to the princess while she waited in resignation. "Hurry up," she squeaked, twitching her arm. "Please," she added to demonstrate the politeness she had been raised to have.

"Your mother's old silk one may be less… abrasive to her. I kept it on a stand for memory but…" he began, watching the princess's face contort with the extremes of effort she was mustering to keep still.

"You're afraid she'll get it wet and damage it?" Cyrus asked. His father rumbled in affirmation.

Another group of attendants were filing in. "You, with the rabbit skins. What are they for?" Ruto demanded.

"To decorate you with, madame Lorelei," she answered respectfully. "Like how your fiancee wears the badgers."

The princess threw the robe off and scattered the attendants that were working on her. "Ah, much better," she said with contentment. "I must apologize for my rudeness," she said looking around those that had stepped back. "I simply could not tolerate that robe any longer. May I put it on after all the other preparations are made?" she asked the laird cordially.

"It might be best if we got another less wrinkled one anyway," he said, signalling one of the attendants to remove the wrinkled robe and replace it.

"I thank you, Laird Bruga," the princess said with a slight tilt to her head.

"Only the best for the one for my son," Bruga replied. Once Ruto began to talk with the attendants and they began to apply the oils and perfumes, the laird leaned over and whispered to his son "You didn't have to… strip for your wedding to her in her land did you?"

Cyrus shook his head vigorously, mostly to shake the feeling of revulsion. "No, father, but they did have me put on something more presentable than my travel clothes."

"I can imagine, if they were anything like the ones you wore when you came back here…"

"What I wore when I arrived back in Gleight actually was the same set of travelling clothes I had then."

Bruga pulled away from his son and looked at him in astonishment.

"What do you think?" Ruto asked before Bruga could respond again. She gave a quick twirl and looked at the men. A crown of flowers rested atop her head and now she was wearing a robe again, but she had not ruffled it and she seemed to be much more comfortable wearing it. Two bars of red paint ran from opposite sides of her face and swirled into each other on the pronounced bridge of her nose. The fins on the sides of her head hung in on the front of her robe, their deep magenta enhanced by golden ornaments infused with opals, pearls, rubies, and other gems. These were further accented by her many necklaces. A glint appeared in her dark eyes at the same time she made a small, joyful smile that stole Cyrus's words.

Ruto laughed mirthfully, further robbing her husband's articulation. "That good?" she asked, her smile broadening. Bruga returned the smile. "Indeed you are beautiful, but where are the rabbit skins?" he asked. The princess rolled up a sleeve and showed a skin tied to her forearm. "They tied them to my arms, legs and sides. Their furs isn't as obnoxious as the fabric is," she explained.

"Won't you get hot? It's the middle of summer!" Salin protested.

"The wedding takes place in a tent out in the fairgrounds," Cyrus answered slowly, finally finding his speech again. "It should be cool enough in there for as long as you need to wear the robe. Later on you'll have an opportunity to change, in fact, you will definitely want to."

"What else do I need to know?" she asked, looking over herself in a large mirror brought in by the attendants, who nodded to each other in approval.

Bruga explained the rest of the proceedings of the highlander wedding to her. "Intriguing. You make your own vows as you stand before each other?" she asked, her eyes widening very slightly in interest, then looking at Cyrus.

Once the laird had finished all of his explanation he announced. "The bride and groom both appear ready. Let us go to the field behind the gods' temple."

A great crowd had filed into the huge tent. Cyrus felt as if all of Gleight were in attendance because he was after all, the laird's son. "I can't stand so much attention," he muttered to himself. Soon the crowd hushed, and Cyrus looked toward the entrance of the tent. Though not in direct light, the Zora's Sapphire hanging from his neck gleamed.

Standing with Cyrus was his father and a priest of All Gods, his robe decorated with many religious symbols, including the Triforce as well as those of the highlander clans. The names of each of these gods were sewn into the edges of the priest's robe. As a sign of joy, his hood was off. Usually the priest of All Gods wore the hood to symbolize solemnity. His brown eyes glittered as did the candlelight off of his bald head.

Bright candles surrounded Cyrus, the priest, and Bruga in a circle with an opening near the aisle to allow entrance for the bride. The lairds-heir absently fidgeted with the pouch on his belt whose contents he would use for the ceremony.

Profound reverence fell upon all gathered as Ruto began to walk toward the circle of candles. Her face was set to hide her nervousness. She wore the same robe, jewels, and crown of flowers. If it were possible she would have had her hood up, but because her head's fishtail would not allow it the hood was deemed unnecessary. Behind her were six attendants walking in two lines, each with their hoods up and heads bowed in reverence. The first two held candles, the second held small boxes that were inlaid with jewels, and the third pair held swords. Ruto had been told that these represented the light that she and Cyrus were to each other, the gifts they were to each other, and how they would lay down their lives to fight for one another respectively.

Upon reaching the circle of candles, Ruto stood directly before Cyrus and placed her hands in his while her attendants stood around the inside of the ring. Once all had taken their position, the priest spoke. "People of the clan called Gleight: we gather today to witness the binding of these, one the child of Eulia, the Goddess of victory of the highlanders, who took some from the hylians and made them her own, and the other the child of Farore, the Goddess of Courage, who blessed some of the fish of Lake Hylia, granting them the minds and the ability to walk the world as equals among the other gods' children.

"Bring forth, Cyrus Laird's-Heir, O son of Eulia, the vows you shall make with this daughter of Farore that shall be your bondmate," the priest commanded, his voice brim with authority but also the joy of wedding these two.

"Ruto Zora, daughter of Farore," the lairds-heir began breathlessly. "I vow unto you that I shall be by your side through cataclysm and torment. I vow that you shall be the only woman that graces my thoughts. I vow that I will hold your life above my own. I vow to uphold you through all of life's trial, that you may have the arm and heart of a highlander, even mine own, to lift you through. I vow that we may be bound together, an inseparable force. Ruto, you are the only woman upon this earth the gods have made that could have pried me from the life of a mercenary, that brought me back to see responsibility to people and to nations. I love you with all my being and soul. My vows are spoken."

The priest smiled and then turned to face the princess, whose eyes had grown wet. "Bring forth, Ruto Zora, O daughter of Farore, the vows you shall make with this son of Eulia that shall be your bondmate," the priest again commanded.

"Cyrus Laird's-Heir, Son of Eulia," Ruto said, her voice wavering slightly with her joyful tears. "I vow to you that a moment shall not pass that you are in my heart. I vow to you that you will be another thing that brings me life, as does the air and the water I breathe. I vow to you that though the boisterous waves and whirlpools of life may toss us that we shall face them together. I vow to you that I will be faithful to the eternities to you. I vow that no trial, tribulation, hurt, or heartbreak will dull my love for you. Cyrus, our meeting was a strange one, but in it we found the seed of true love. Before you graced my sight, life was but a hollow courtly ritual. May all the forces that touch this world keep us bound. My vows are spoken."

The priest looked with pride upon both Cyrus and Ruto. He then withdrew a needle from a pouch on his side, similar to those that the other two had. In turn, Cyrus and Ruto each withdrew a needle from their respective pouches. The priest then addressed the two once again. "Now these shall take the oath of the clan. The son of Eulia shall puncture his right palm while the daughter of Farore shall puncture her left, and they shall join these hands." Once they had done so, the priest continued. "Repeat these words: As our blood runs together, so shall our flesh, and we shall ever be one."

After both had repeated the vow, he withdrew seeds and soil from his pouch. Then Cyrus withdrew a seed while Ruto withdrew soil from hers. "Clasp the unbloodied hands," the priest commanded, and was obeyed. "Repeat these words: As the seed grows, so shall we grow together. As the seed makes more of its kind, so shall we." Upon repeating this vow, both the princess and the lairds-heir were reminded of the concern they had over having children. If they could, what would they look like?

The priest's voice rang out once more. "Place your forehead and nose together, Son of Eulia and Daughter of Farore, and draw a deep breath in unison." Once they had done so, the priest ordered them to repeat, "So our breath mingles, so shall our souls. We are bound together until the soul shall pass away or the gods rend us, and when this is we know that all mercy is fled."

The priest tilted his head in the direction of both. He then proclaimed, "These shall now seal their bonds with a kiss. The father of the Son of Eulia shall then take the seed and plant it then dab the blood." Ruto and Cyrus kissed as they had not in several days, their backbones thrilling. They barely noticed when Bruga came and took their seed and wiped the blood from their hands, at which point the populace of Gleight applauded.

Back in the keep Ruto sighed heavily in relief when she got the last of the rabbit skins off. "Salin was right, those did get hot," she admitted.

Cyrus grinned. "You were flushing when we were exchanging vows."

The princess looked over at her husband, now twice over. "So were you. Any time you get nervous or embarrassed you turn as red as a reekfish."

"At least I don't smell like one," the highlander countered.

"Well actually…" Ruto joked.

Cyrus exhaled sharply. "Come on, let's get back out there. The wedding isn't really over until tomorrow morning," he pressed excitedly while changing the subject.

"Cyrus…" the princess chided. "We haven't been alone together for some time," she said as she approached. "Listen: it's quiet," she continued as she drew herself and Cyrus to a bench and sat down, taking him with her. They sat for a moment in the silence, listening to each other breathing and relishing each other's presence. Ruto rested her head on her husband's shoulder and he caressed her gills, which she fluttered.

A loud creaking door interrupted their quiet as a soldier walked into the keep. "There you are. We've been looking for you. People want to send you their congratulations and, och, what a party you're missing! Oh, and by the way, you need to get out here for the spiorad gèam."

"Isn't that usually done later?" Cyrus asked with puzzlement.

"What's a 'spiorad gèam?'" Ruto asked while her husband rose to his feet.

"Father didn't tell you? I suppose I'll have to…"

Momentarily Cyrus and Ruto were standing across from each other in a small ring. Cyrus had removed his shirt and Ruto her jewelry. "The spiorad gèam," Cyrus explained while they were getting prepared. "Is a wrestling match between the newlyweds to determine who will be dominant in the relationship."

Ruto stared incredulously. "That seems… backward," she managed after a moment of trying to find the right word.

The highlander shrugged in response. "It's old highlander tradition, as such, it's considered binding-at least among the highlanders. When we go back to hyrule nobody has to know who won, and they probably wouldn't care."

"Oh, they'll know and they will care," Salin said with a wicked grin.

The referee stood in the middle of the ring and announced loudly, "Lorelei-Ruto and Cyrus will now fight the spiorad gèam. No cheap shots, bone breaking, choking, or gouging. Begin!"

 _Only those are barred? What kind of fight is this?_ Ruto thought as she and Cyrus began circling each other.

Cyrus made a lunge for the princess while she was thinking. She danced away barely in time to avoid getting hit. The highlander made another attempt at a grapple and caught her this time. He didn't realize that she had angled herself in such a way to be grabbed in a manner that would lead to her advantage. She dove out of his grasp, placed a hand on one of his shoulders and swept a leg behind his knees and brought him down. Before he could react, she knelt on his back and held his arms behind.

"Did you just let me win?" Ruto asked mischievously, bending down toward her husband's ear to whisper.

"Maybe I did," he said in a normal voice. "You on my back reminds me of that one night…"

"Cyrus!" Ruto scolded. "There are other people-" she was cut off by a sudden burst of strength from her victim.

Amazingly, he swung his arms forward and hurled the princess off his back, the surprise causing her to release his wrists. "You forget you married a highlander," he said, rolling her over onto her stomach and pinning her arms. Her counter was to swing her head's fishtail, striking Cyrus and knocking him off of her. He rolled away before she could pin him again.

"And you forget you married a zora," she shot back.

Cheers erupted from the crowd as the match went forward. Ruto leapt into the air, higher than most humans could, her great leg strength coming from swimming so much. She double-kicked at Cyrus, who warded the blows with his forearms, though the attack still stung. In response, he feinted a grab then placed a punch in Ruto's diaphragm. She choked for breath while water blew forcefully out of her gills, wetting a few members of their audience. "Penalty for a cheap shot! Ruto gets a free hit on Cyrus, the same hit if she so chooses!" the referee barked out.

"I meant to hit you lower," Cyrus said quietly in apology, almost as a plea right before Ruto charged her shoulder into him and knocked him over. The highlander recovered with a roll and ended up on his feet only to find a magenta fist flying toward his face. The blow was a strong one and Cyrus had to blink a few times to clear the stars from his vision. While he was doing so, his wife was landing a flurry of blows all over him. Each one made him recoil slightly, but the effect was little more than this, as she was trying more for control and less for damage.

He managed to grab another power strike that was heading for his nose. He then grabbed the other fist as it headed in for its own attack. Now successfully grappling, he tried to tilt the princess to one side. She fought back, but she would lose this grapple soon. Her power lay in her flexibility, nimbleness, and martial arts skill rather than the raw, brute strength her husband relied on, even though a life underwater brought her a good deal of muscle needed to fight the water to move through it.

Cyrus found himself pitching forward when Ruto began to pull and hop backward rather than push. He heaved his weight behind to avoid the fall forward, then he fell back, and maintaining his grip on the princess she landed on top of him. Reacting quickly, he rolled them both over and pinned the princess down. "Gotcha!" the lairds-heir said with a grin. On her back with her arms and legs pinned, Ruto couldn't do much. In a desperate maneuver, she leaned up her head and kissed Cyrus warmly on the mouth.

His heart thrilled, but he would not let this become a distraction that would work to his downfall. "Thank you and nice try," he said playfully, maintaining his advantage. Then Ruto got an idea. If her head could reach him… This time she shot her head forward and knocked her forehead against Cyrus's. He lost his senses for a moment and tottered over, giving the princess the chance she needed to flip the both of them over and put him into a pin. Fortunately for Cyrus, she hadn't pinned his arms by the time he came to and he knocked her off, sending her sprawling to the side.

Both had the opportunity to jump to their feet again. Voices out of the crowd were cheering mostly for Cyrus, although a good many were in favor of the zora princess as well. At first some of these had been catcalling. They quickly gained respect for her when they saw how well she fought.

"Can't we stop before we get too bruised to enjoy the rest of the day?" Ruto asked over the noise to her husband.

"We might, but they won't let us," he replied, indicating the audience before he charged at her once again. Instead of doing a full body dive into her like he had appeared to do, he feinted and made a headlock. He was sure to include her head's fishtail in the hold to ensure that she could not use the great mass of muscle.

Ruto attempted to throw Cyrus over her shoulder, but his stance was such that she could not effectively use her weight in the maneuver. She tried to walk around and possibly drag him with her, but he would not move. She jabbed her elbow back to try and land a hit, but she wasn't able to reach. Memories of her training flooded to her mind, and she acted on what she remembered. She had full access to Cyrus's waist, and therefore his center of gravity. She wrapped her arms around his midsection and pulled up, releasing his grip, then dropped him on the ground, belly down.

The crowd oohed at the maneuver as Ruto dove down again to pin Cyrus, hoping this time to keep him down. With highlander might he pushed up and lifted the princess with his body, then released one arm to tip the combined weight sideways.

The couple continued with impressive offenses, defenses, and counters, keeping the watching eyes well entertained. They grappled again, Cyrus pushing with everything he had while Ruto was using her powerful legs to contend with her husband's strength. Eventually the princess pitched her weight to the side, tipping them both over. By now, both were severely exhausted and rolled away from each other, bracing themselves for the next impact which never came. "I've had enough. I submit," Cyrus groaned, at the same time Ruto cried, "My strength is failed. I submit!"

Gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd. While the two were still panting on the ground, the referee had left to find Bruga. Nothing like this had happened before to his knowledge, he needed to know what was to happen from the laird.

Cyrus's father climbed into the ring and looked over them. They were both panting and they leaned their heads to face each other. When none moved after a few seconds, Bruga announced loudly, "They are equals!" The crowd continued to murmur, this time in shock. Something like this indeed had never happened to the recollection of anyone present.

Attendants came into the ring to help the princess back on her feet while Bruga did the same for his son. "Gleight hasn't seen a spiorad gèam as fascinating as that in decades," Bruga said to Cyrus and Ruto animatedly. Both were escorted to tubs of hot water in a private tent to ease their sore muscles. They sighed in contentment and relaxation when they had been left alone.

"I was holding back you, know," Ruto said with a grin, strength returning to her rapidly as she became more hydrated. Cyrus would take more time to recover as he lacked the gills to take the hot water directly into his body as she did.

"No you weren't," he answered back, still somewhat breathless. He rubbed his shoulders, ignoring Ruto's protests to the contrary. "And there's still so much more of a party to go through today," he murmured.

"They expect us to have a wild time after this?" the princess groaned.

"Usually they have the spiorad gèam at the end after you're already spent," he answered jokingly. "I suppose they wanted a more lively fight instead of a drunken brawl."

"Then I could have brought you down in seconds. I don't drink," Ruto said with a coy smile, sinking deeper down, keeping just high enough to still be able to hear her husband.

"I don't either. Something I learned from my mercenary days. 'A drunken mercenary has loose lips, loose purse strings, loose belt, and stripes on his back,' as the saying goes."

"Stripes on their back?" Ruto asked with mortified confusion. "Would mercenaries really whip drunken comrades?"

"Probably one of the few rules actually enforced in the camps," Cyrus chuckled. "Being drunk in the camps just gave anyone of a higher rank than you that had a bad day an excuse to whip or beat you senseless," he explained.

"Ouch, I feel like I'm going to be purple and orange," the princess groaned in pain as she tried to turn over.

Suddenly the flap door to the tent was torn open. "Give us some privacy will you?!" Cyrus barked as he shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight. Whoever had entered said nothing, but stood there still for a moment, regarding both of them.

"Who are you?" the princess demanded, rising up. The intruder quickly averted his eyes. "Forgive me! I only wished to inform the lairds-heir that we have apprehended Arah. She claimed to be here to enjoy the festivities, but…"

Not wanting to have to deal with this problem until after the wedding party he interrupted the messenger, "I'll take care of it later. Just make sure she's under the tightest security you can manage. From what we've seen of her, she's a slippery one."

The messenger nodded to the wall and then withdrew, closing the flap behind him. Cyrus sighed and grabbed a towel from the table beside his tub. "Better get ready to get out there again," he groaned, rubbing his back. Ruto left her tub as well and began to put on her numerous pendants, bracelets, and other ornaments.

The couple enjoyed themselves thoroughly for the rest of the celebration. Bruga was able to learn more about the princess and Zora's Domain, while she in turn was able to learn more about the highlanders. When night fell, some minstrels came to tell stories and to sing. Cyrus and Ruto were placed on high throne like seats near the front for the best view. Near the end of their performance, a minstrel that had not performed yet came forward, and all the others parted away from her-almost as if in reverence. She was not dressed in the showy fabrics that her cohorts were, rather she was adorned in plain highlander garb. Her hair was bright orange and disheveled, although not messy. Overall she looked wild.

"Who is she?" Ruto whispered to Cyrus.

"They call her the Wanderer. She's not really a part of this company. She comes and goes and sings her songs as she pleases. We are truly gifted to have her come tonight," he whispered back.

The Wanderer began to sing in crystal tones. Though she sang in the highlander tongue that Ruto did not understand, her heart was moved with deep emotion with her song. She sang with no music, as if nature itself were her accompanist. Indeed, the wind seemed to shift with her and the birds sounded in time with her.

"What's she saying?" the princess asked, feeling the notes wash over her like the waters that gave her life.

Though Cyrus had never heard this song before, he found himself humming along. When Ruto asked the question, he flushed slightly. "I think she's singing about you. I'll do my best to translate, but the poetic meaning may be lost.

 _She sits upon the Mourning Rock_

 _She sings to the sun and stars_

 _Any who hear her voice_

 _Fall before her spell._

 _Oh they call her Lorelei_

 _The Queen beneath the Waves_

 _The hearts of many she stole_

 _And never gives them back._

 _So the tale goes, they say_

' _Till at once, a princess mourn'd_

 _For the fall of a friend, who spilt his blood_

 _She sang and sat upon the Mourning Rock._

 _Lady Lorelei_

 _Some heeded not her magic and_

 _They took her to their home_

 _The mighty City of Gleight_

 _To be punished by the laird._

 _The deed was to fall upon_

 _The son of the laird, Strong Cyrus_

 _When he saw her eyes of black,_

 _He fell before her spell._

" _She stands innocent," he proclaim'd_

" _How I know, she's my wife,"_

 _Said he who tamed the Lorelei._

 _Though he told, Ruto was her name._

 _Bow before now, the wife of Cyrus._

 _Lorelei she is not._

 _Though a princess beneath the waves she is._

"How could she have known all that?" Ruto gasped in astonishment.

The lairds-heir shrugged. "Some say she is more than a mortal and travels with the winds and hears all that blows on them. A few say that she is Eulia herself, but there's no real evidence to support that."

Before Ruto could answer, the Wanderer began to sing again, and at her request Cyrus translated again.

 _From what was the heart_

 _Darkness grows to take._

 _Unite behind Galhedda._

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _The hearts of two, lairdsson and_

 _The Lady of the Loch_

 _Shall thwart the growing dark._

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Sword and hand_

 _Fist and fin_

 _The devotion of two shall_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _The folk of fin, far away_

 _Their hands blue and webbed_

 _Shall with Galhedda's band_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Who shall go_

 _Who shall stay_

 _To petition their aid?_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _For which Zora that_

 _Will bring more_

 _I cannot say_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _The sands of a desert_

 _Keep them back_

 _Wait for the rains_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Keep the light burning_

 _Save the Highlands!_

 _Save the Goddess' Hyrule!_

 _Save my Home!_

 _KEEP THE LIGHT BURNING_

 _KEEP THE LIGHT BURNING_

On the last verse, the Wanderer's voice seemed to come from all around, the ground beneath them even seemed to sing with her. She looked down upon Cyrus, Ruto, and Salin all sitting together and spread her hands to them. " _Mo mhac, mo nighean, mo mhac-bráthar_ ," she said to them before turning slowly and walking away.

 **"** **What did she say?" both zoras asked Cyrus at the same time. Neither had paid Salin much notice through the performances as he had kept quiet. The highlander paused a moment before answering. "** ** _Mo mhac, mo nighean, mo mhac-bráthar_** **," he repeated solemnly. "My son, my daughter, my nephew."**


	9. Chapter 9

Many of those that were at the party felt that the Wanderer addressing Salin, Cyrus, and Ruto as she had was proof that she was Eulia, as the highlanders were often called "children of Eulia" and Ruto had just married into the family. Others still debated this, saying that while there was now some evidence at least that stated the Wanderer was Eulia, that didn't prove it for certain. A few brawls erupted over the subject.

Cyrus, Salin, Bruga and a few others were trying to quell the fighting while Ruto looked on in disgust. "Of all the petty things to fight over," she grumbled when Cyrus had returned, holding a bloody rag to his nose.

"We're highlanders," the lairds-heir answered frankly. "Fighting is in our blood. Mostly though, I think the argument came to fisticuffs because a few had too much to drink."

"Do you suppose it means anything, what she sang in her last song?" Salin asked as he neared the other two. He had a few dents in his armor from his fights. One of his fins had been crushed in the fighting and he was still trying to straighten it out.

"The songs of the Wanderer are truth, whether they are from the past, today, or some time distant," Bruga rumbled when he joined the rest. "It seems as if she means to tell us that you, my son and your bonnie wife are the key to our victory. How, I can't say."

"The hearts of two, Lairdsson and Lady of the Loch shall thwart the growing dark," Ruto quoted cryptically. "I think that knowing this helps us to know why Arah had attempted to separate us and destroy our love. She must be a hand for the darkness," the princess considered.

Hearing Ruto's theory pained the lairds-heir. "What could have possessed her to…" he whispered to himself.

"Remember also the verse, 'the folk of fin, far away their hands blue and webbed shall with Galhedda's band keep the light burning.' Princess, I believe the Wanderer means to say that your people shall be the ones to tip the scales in our favor," Bruga cut in. "Though she said that one should go and another should stay, but not even she knew. It would be best if we found out who we should send tonight so that they may leave as early as possible tomorrow."

"Laird, can we not at least finish the party?" Salin interrupted, being perhaps a little too comfortable with the laird than he should have been. A cold stare from the large man let the others know this. Salin continued nonetheless, "I haven't had such a good time in years."

"Time is of the essence," came Bruga's rebuke. "Besides, the celebration is mostly over. The food has been eaten, the spiorad gèam has been fought, the only thing that hasn't been done is the dance, but I don't think most of them could bring themselves to it," he furthered, looking over the fairgrounds. Several were sleeping in various convenient places, others were relaxing at their tables speaking with one another, any that had been brawling were thrown out, and some servants had come to clean up.

"I suppose you're right," the zora conceded remorsefully. "I hoped to at least take a little longer break from all the work, and I'm sure Cyrus would have as well," he added wistfully.

"Who must go?" Bruga asked directly, looking over the two zoras. Salin folded his arms and Ruto looked at Cyrus longingly.

"I should go," Salin eventually offered, breaking the silence. "I've personally overseen most of the new training regiments for the zoran army. Nobody among our officers know the tactics as well as I do and thus nobody else can refresh them on them as adequately as I can on the return trip. Plus I may be able to… persuade some mercenaries to come with us as well."

"Good, it's settl-" Cyrus began, but was cut off by Ruto.

"Dearest…" she said with a sigh. "As much as it pains me to leave your side so soon after we had reunited, I should be the one to go back to Zora's Domain to call forth our warriors. I have the authority needed to get our soldiers to the field. I must also speak with my father and let him know why I did what I have done. If needed, I may also carry enough influence with the hylians that I could convince the king to lend us some of his armies to aid us."

"Ruto…" Cyrus protested.

"Son, think this through," Bruga cut in. "You must learn to make decisions such as this. As much as you want to be beside your wife, consider which option has the greatest advantages for our cause. I will leave this decision to you."

"Ruto's father may well be so distraught over her long absence that he may be too overjoyed at her return to even listen to her," the lairds-heir thought aloud. "Although, Salin may face severe discipline for leaving unannounced as he did as well. And we can't forget that Ruto has had a few attempts at her capture on the journey here, so I can imagine that whoever was after you will be searching for you when you leave."

Ruto piped, "I've also had an attempt on my life while here in Gleight, dearest. I may not be as safe here as you hope. It may be better if I were on the move, especially once I'm surrounded by the armies of the zoras."

"That is true," Cyrus admitted. "But what about the trip there? How would either of you cross the desert? The Wanderer said to 'wait for the rains,' but it rains so rarely in the Gerudo Desert that if you're lucky you would be able to travel across it one way. Is there any other way for you to go back to Hyrule?"

Ruto shuddered. "I would rather risk sun drying than travel through the forest again."

"Again? You went through the Lost Woods to get here?" Cyrus asked.

Salin nodded. "Quite an adventure that was. Besides, the Skull Kid probably wouldn't let us go through again. He even asked us never to go through 'his' woods again."

Cyrus was bewildered. "Not only did you make it through the Lost Woods but you escaped an encounter with the Skull Kid alive? You'll have to tell me the tale sometime."

"Not for a long time," Ruto declined with a haunted look.

With a faint smile, the lairds-heir looked over these two zoras, his dear wife and his close friend. He and Salin had been through much together. Cyrus was one of the few people that Salin respected enough to take orders from. Salin had been a blue-rank for some time before Cyrus came into his life and it wasn't until he was on assignments under Cyrus that he was able to advance again. They worked very well together and shared a bond that only two warriors could share when they nearly died side by side.

Ruto had not known him for nearly as long, but they were connected deeply as well. Spending most of their time together for four months, they began to know each other on a very intimate level. If Cyrus was ever frustrated, Ruto seemed to be able to soothe him. He found himself wondering just how how their union was to stop the "growing dark."

Something occurred to the lairds-heir that he knew would have great influence on his decision. "Perhaps we should interrogate Arah to see just how much danger Ruto's in," he said, heading to the keep, his father and the zoras close behind.

The door to the prison block squealed more loudly than the other doors in the keep. Arah looked up miserably from her seat to see who was approaching. She saw the laird, a beautiful and anxious looking zora woman, her guard that appeared to be rather bored, and a very angry looking Cyrus.

"Explain yourself Arah," the lairds-heir ordered tersely.

Though imprisoned, the highlander maid was dressed in a fine green dress that accented her well set fiery hair. The sleeves were done after the dresses of highlander nobility with a length of fabric tied to the forearm that fell into a point. Around her neck she wore a silver locket. "Cyrus?" she asked, coming close to the door. "Well, it is you! I wish we could have met under better circumstances. I hoped to speak to you at your wedding but… you seem…" she trailed, seeing how angry her longtime friend was.

"What is it?" she questioned hesitatingly.

"Don't play dumb with me!" the lairds-heir roared, causing her to start. Bruga placed a hand on his son's shoulder to calm him only to be shrugged off.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she pleaded, shrinking back.

The lairds-heir surged forward, jostling the door as he did. "You were in my quarters and jabbed me with fingerneedles! You placed notes to drive a wedge between Ruto and me! _Explain yourself_!" he furiously repeated.

"I never did any such thing!" she yelped. Her heart began to race out of sudden fear. Courageous as most highlanders though she was, seeing her longtime friend behave this way awoke fear in her.

Ruto tried to calm Cyrus this time. He didn't shake her off as he had his father, but he refused to be comforted. "Even if she did, you shouldn't be so harsh…" she said quietly.

"I swear to you I didn't do it!" Arah insisted. "I hadn't even been in the keep after the raiders brought your wife here. Please believe me!"

Gently, Ruto pushed Cyrus aside. "Was it you who ran crying from the keep?" she asked smoothly. Making this woman hysterical wouldn't solve anything.

Arah nodded, her fear calming. "When Cyrus left I always knew he'd come back someday, that's what he meant when he gave me a ring. I fantasized that when he came back we might even become more than friends; we were very close. As time wore on, that fantasy became a hope. All that was shattered when you came here, no offense to you, lass." Bruga and Salin were restraining Cyrus to allow Ruto to do what she needed.

"I am sorry," the princess apologized.

"Nay, you don't need to apologize. I came to realize that I ran crying because of a childhood fantasy. Cyrus and I were friends, nothing more, I should have remembered that. I still am hurt but that's my own problem."

"Did you come to realize that after you planted your notes?" the princess asked, although not in an accusatory manner.

"I told you I did no such thing!" Arah protested.

"Arah… All the evidence suggests that you did. I even still have one of your fingerneedles that you told me was a thimble when I was consoling you in the throne room yesterday."

"I've nae held a fingerneedle, much less know how to use one. As for your consoling me, I've never spoken to you face to face until just now."

"You're a terrible liar," Cyrus murmured darkly before he broke free of the grip of both Bruga and Salin. "Who do you serve?" he interrogated, a hand resting on his sword.

"Clan Gleight," Arah defended. Her family was part of the Gleight nobility.

"Cyrus, before you lose it completely and do something stupid, let me handle this," Salin ordered, stepping toward the cell. Arah shrunk back. What horrors would this fish-man have to get her to talk?

"What's your full name?" he asked.

"Arah Flamemane."

"Who are your siblings?"

"Kesto, Morgan, Neila, and Eul-gaie."

"Have you ever seen a goron?"

"What?" Arah asked in confusion.

"Just answer my questions," Salin commanded insistently.

"I… have not," Arah replied with some hesitation.

Salin continued to ask random questions and at an increasing speed.

"Does your sister have blue eyes?"

"No." The maiden was beginning to be annoyed by the questions.

"What was written in the notes you put in their quarters?"

"I didn't place any notes!"

"Ah! She speaks the truth," the zoran guard asserted. The highlanders and princess all looked at him perplexed.

"Piranha method," he explained. "You barrage them with a number of questions that are irrelevant and easy to answer to wear down their defenses. Eventually you ask the question you need to and if they are guilty, they will give the truth because they became accustomed to answering questions quickly. Arah here is innocent."

Cyrus hung his head while Bruga unlocked the cell door. "Arah… I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"No real harm done, lad, but you did give me a good scare. You bluster worse than your father!" she said with a smile. Bruga looked away after the jab.

"If it wasn't you," Ruto began. "Then who could it have been? The hysterical woman I spoke with yesterday looked and sounded exactly like you."

Arah shrugged. "All I can tell you is that it wasn't me." Cyrus saw her hand and caught a glimpse of the unadorned white gold ring he had given her years before on her right hand. He knew that the imposter had thrown hers on the ground and it had been picked up by someone else. He felt particularly foolish for not noticing this detail earlier.

"Honestly, I'm more disappointed that I missed the party," the maiden admitted. "But your spiorad gèam was quite a thing to watch! Reminds me of when we wrestled each other when we were younger." At this remark, Salin broke into loud laughter and Ruto looked at Cyrus with her brow furrowed. "What's so funny?" Arah asked Salin, tears now coming from his laughter. "Highlanders wrestle and box each other for entertainment. What's so funny about that?" she defended. Salin's laughter continued but Ruto's facial expression relaxed when Arah made her explanation. "Do you still have the scar on your back, by the way?" the maiden continued. The zoran guard now had fallen to the floor laughing so hard and Cyrus was beginning to blush. Ruto only brought a palm over her face and sighed in annoyance at Salin's crass behavior.

During the whole while, Bruga was thinking deeply about the recent events. "It is possible we may have a changeling in our midst," he bluntly stated. Salin's laughter eased off and he stood. "I thought (hic) they were a myth?" the zora said, puzzled.

"Nay, they are not," Bruga replied wistfully. "We found one here a few years ago. Occasionally a clan will report an assassination attempt from another clan only to find that the 'assassin' had died days before they reported attack. Usually this means that the work was the doing of a changeling trying to do nothing more than sow chaos between the clans. They are a reality," the laird asserted.

"Well, (hic)," Salin began. "How do we (hic) find out where the changeling (hic) is?" With every hiccup the zora's gills jolted open and a little water fell from them.

"There really isn't any way," Bruga answered. "The best you can do is test the people around you, to something that only they would be privy to."

"Like this conversation, perhaps?" Ruto suggested.

"Indeed, daughter," Bruga said. The princess was a little surprised that the laird would call her this so soon. "Something a little simpler that we had done, however was to use a specific greeting and reply that those in the group would know only. If whoever they confronted appeared to be part of this group yet did not know the reply to the greeting, we knew they were the doppelganger."

"You mean a code?" Arah said.

"Precisely. What shall ours be?" Bruga replied.

Cyrus thought a moment. " _Beannachdan, urram fear de Gleight_ , or in the case of Arah and Ruto, _Beannachdan, urram bean Gleight,_ Greetings honored man or woman of Gleight." The others nodded in approval.

" _Ro maluli uahno_. You are received," Ruto suggested. "It may be best if the response is in zoran. I doubt that any highlander would know our tongue, and thus neither would a changeling from here."

"I agree," Bruga rumbled.

"Sound good to (hic) me," Salin agreed. Arah gave her assent as well.

"Cyrus, have you made your decision on which zora shall go to rally their people?" the laird asked abruptly.

His son groaned inside. "I…" he began hesitantly, looking over both Salin and Ruto. "What's the punishment for desertion, Salin?" he asked the guard.

His eyes widened in realization. "Execution," he declared flatly. "If I go on my own, I might get that charge. If I ever go back I'll need to do so with the princess to vouch for me."

Cyrus nodded gravely. "Ruto… It seems it falls to you to travel to Zora's Domain. Your father may be angry, but you'll be able to keep your head, and if you bring a note from myself declaring our dire predicament he may be willing to let any punishment go on your part and grant our request," he declared reluctantly.

The princess bowed her head in understanding and acceptance. "At least I know that all is well with you on this journey, dearest," she sighed. Then she embraced Cyrus warmly for several moments. At this Bruga smiled proudly, Arah smiled as well but with a faint trace of jealousy, and Salin rolled his eyes.

When they had finally released each other, Cyrus's shirt was slightly damp where the princess had pressed against him. "We still have the matter of crossing the desert," Cyrus cautioned. "That and Ruto needs guards. My wife or not, she's a figure of royalty and needs to be defended in her travels."

"If I may…" Arah began quietly. She felt a little nervous when all eyes fastened on her, giving her their undivided attention. "Cyrus's note may be well and good, but it may be best to have a member of our nobility go hence to support the validity of our claim. That and I can offer my blade in your defence, laird's-heiress," she concluded, looking to Ruto. The princess was stunned that a member of this clan had so readily given her the title reserved for the daughters of lairds.

"You have combat training?" Salin pried, looking over Arah skeptically.

"I can handle a short sword very well," she answered with pride.

Trying not make his doubts about a noblewoman's combat skill too obvious, even if his own princess was an excellent fighter, Salin said, "Even so, milady (hic) should have several more guards (hic) on her journey." The zora was thankful his hiccups were tapering off.

"True," Bruga rumbled. "I will see to it that we have ten of our best men to accompany you."

"Thank you," the princess replied graciously. "And you as well, Lady Arah. It will be nice to have some female company for this journey," she added quietly, casting a sour look at Salin, remembering some of the things he had put her through on the journey to Gleight.

"That still leaves the issue of journeying through the desert," the guard chimed, ignoring the glare. "No zora that attempted that journey has ever lived. The heat and oppressive dryness are simply too much. The Wanderer said to 'wait for the rains,' and if the gods smile upon us they will come when the army journeys over the sands, but we are left to our own to get back to Hyrule."

"If we lined a casket with skins it may work," Bruga suggested.

"I'm going to travel back to Hyrule in a _coffin_?" Ruto gaped, not believing what she heard.

"If you so choose, lass," the laird answered soberly. "I can think of nothing better. You will have room to stretch out in it, the skins can make it watertight, and the palls on the sides can be carried by your guards. You will even be able to open the lid if you wish to see where you travel."

The princess sighed in exasperation. "Very well, if that is indeed the best we have."

"Good," the laird nodded. "I'll make sure all the necessary preparations are made. If you'll excuse me," he said as he departed.

"It's probably best if we all went to bed. We'll need the rest," Cyrus suggested, taking Ruto on his arm to their room.

"Speak for yourself," Salin murmured. "Until the army gets here, I've got absolutely nothing to do."

Arah left as well, walking beside Salin and conversing with him.

Once they had all returned to their rooms, Salin sharpened his polearm, tapped the dents out of his armor, and went straight to bed. When Arah had arrived at her home, she opened a chest that held her combat gear. Inside was a set of fine leather armor with the sigil of the Gleight Clan on the breastplate. Her shortsword was also there, recently oiled by a servant. It rang eagerly when she drew it from the sheath and whistled as she gave it a few swings. The weight was familiar to her, as it is with most highlanders when they handle their weapons. Before retiring to bed she undid her hair and let the fiery orange locks tumble down her back. In the mirror she looked at herself. Large green eyes, a small nose, soft strawberry colored lips and freckles were sprinkled over her face while long hylian ears stuck out from beneath her ample hair that hung down to her mid back. Examining the rest of her figure she smiled in satisfaction then retired to bed. _Cyrus might be out of reach,_ she thought coyly. _But another man will come along._

After Cyrus completed his request to his father-in-law, King Ralis of the zoras, he turned to look at his wife who was sitting cross-legged on the bed. She smiled warmly to him and he returned the expression. "I'll miss you," he said simply.

" _Arueah ro_ ," Ruto replied, repeating the phrase in zoran. She removed the rest of her jewelry, setting it in the drawer of the nightstand beside her. Cyrus's room was furnished similarly to her guest quarters, but Cyrus's room was larger, the wood was a little better done on the bed, and there was a desk against the wall. While Ruto prepared herself to retire, Cyrus did as well, and crawled beneath the skins that made his sheets after removing his shirt, joined by Ruto. Both were comforted to have the familiar weight of their spouses once again beside them. Before they fell asleep, both erased any and all space between themselves.

The next morning was gray, misty and cheerless. Arah was already at the keep ready to leave, excited for a long journey. A few times in her youth she wondered what lie across the great desert and now she would have her chance to see it. When Salin saw how dreary the landscape was he shut the curtain in his room and decided to stay in bed. Though the weather was bleak, Cyrus and Ruto's hearts were warm. They might have been separating once again, but being unified for even these last few days was a good deal of comfort for both.

After breakfast, Arah stood with ten highlander warriors in the great hall, all in various types of armors bearing shields and swords. In the middle of them was the modified coffin that Ruto would be travelling in. She looked at it disdainfully when she and Cyrus had arrived to meet the entourage. Bruga had appeared shortly later.

"Are you prepared for the journey?" he asked directly to the warriors.

"Yes laird!" the all answered enthusiastically in unison.

"Your purpose?"

"To see Lorelei-Ruto safely to her home!"

"Good," the laird answered in approval, then he looked at Arah. "To my knowledge you have never had a task such as this one. Be strong and remember why you are doing this and the importance of your purpose."

Arah nodded soberly, then looked to Ruto. "Are you ready, highness?" she asked, anticipation in her voice.

The princess looked toward the casket again. "I'm not riding in that thing until I absolutely have to. The indignity!" Then, surfacing her kinder nature she added, "It will be a good deal heavier with me in it, anyway."

The soldiers all nodded in understanding, and six of them hefted up the coffin full of water with grunts of effort. Both Cyrus and Ruto faced one another with tears in their eyes, though the lairds-heir hid his then they embraced and kissed. When they released, Bruga placed a hand on one shoulder of each and with a slight quiver in his voice he rumbled, "Cyrus, I am proud to call you my son. Ruto, I am honored to have you as part of my family now as well. Return to us safe."

Ruto smiled and then hugged the startled laird and walked from the great hall surrounded with the eleven warriors. After a few moments of silence, Bruga spoke to those present, "Court is now in session," his voice rumbled through the keep.

Cyrus groaned, disdaining having to sit on a throne all day listening to countless petitions. _Can't these people think for themselves and solve their own problems?_ he thought bitterly as he often did when called to sit in court. He was understandably relieved when the laird dismissed him to see to accommodations for the zoran army that would come soon. Naturally he thought that so doing was premature since it would be a few days until the princess returned with the zoran army, but he had no complaints if it got him out of holding court.

Thinking it would be best to rouse Salin since he would have a better idea as to how to support a large army of zoras, he headed for the guest quarters. Guards saluted him as he passed, to whom he gave a brief nod. "Salin! Are you in there?!" he barked, insistently rapping on the door. An angry groan answered from the other side. With a wide grin Cyrus pushed open the creaking door to find the zora tangled up in his blankets.

"Later," Salin grunted. Rather than depart, however, the lairds-heir tilted the mattress and sent the guard tumbling to the floor. "How do you make it as a regular if you don't get out of bed until noon?" he asked in mild jesting disgust.

The only response from the zora was a baleful glare as he arose and put rings on the fins that hung down the side of his head. " _Tarsod chaelosh_ ," Salin murmured, further rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I don't think I deserved that," Cyrus said in mock hurt.

"What do you want?" Salin grumbled.

"Father wants to prepare accommodations for the zoras that will be here soon. You know more what your people need than I do and I came to request your help."

"You drag me out of bed for that?" the zora replied in irritation. "Just set up tents by the river then they can immerse themselves if they need to."

"No _dekhod_ , I know that," Cyrus answered. "What about board? What will all your soldiers take for rations? What do they need for their practice yards? Can you use traditional whetstones on your coral weapons? And what about…?"

"Shut up!" Salin barked irritably. He certainly was not agreeable when he first rose in the morning, and the ill weather made him even worse. "You know all that rubbish. At least you _should_ as prince of the zoras," he dismissed caustically.

Cyrus was better than to be offended at Salin's manner. He knew just how obnoxious the zora was in the morning from personal experience. "Is this about not helping you improve the army? You know very well I wanted to help you with it but I was always tied down-"

"Whatever!" the zora snarled. "You go on and on about how you never had time to, how you were always stuck at court, did you never think to delegate your responsibilities? And by the way, how are you able to prepare for the arrivals of _my_ armies when you're always tied down in court here, huh?" Salin emphasized that the armies were "his" not because he felt ownership, but because he was almost solely responsible for retraining them.

"Because I've been ordered to today," Cyrus answered flatly. Backing toward the door he whispered for the guard to bring a bucket of cold water.

"Go back to your throne, we have several days before they get here," Salin asserted, walking over and staring out the window. Suddenly he felt splashed by the contents of the bucket that Cyrus had just emptied out on him.

"Now that you're wet will you have a little more vigor?" the lairds-heir asked mischievously. Salin fixed a stare as icy as the water on the chortling highlander. "I found another reason why they call you 'Barracuda,'" Cyrus added. "You're about as friendly as one when you get out of bed."

"Dry out," Salin growled at Cyrus, the phrase meaning something much worse among zoras than it did among hylians. He began to walk out the door and ordered the guard, "You brought him a bucket, why don't you bring me a roll of paper and a pencil?" The guard hurried away immediately to procure the requested materials. As soon as he had them, he began to make his way out of the keep with Cyrus in tow.

"Did you sleep well?" the highlander asked, attempting to goad his friend. The zora's eyes still held some fatigue from being woken up, even after the shock of being splashed with ice water.

"I did until some bloodless torch-head tilted my mattress," he replied balefully. As guards saluted, the zora only grunted at them.

"You haven't had breakfast yet, have you?" Cyrus asked, the jesting tone gone from his voice.

"No," Salin answered flatly.

"Get something in your system, lad. We have important things to tend to and I need you at your best," he ordered, steering his friend toward the kitchens.

"I'll be fine without breakfast to plan a campsite," the other protested in annoyance.

"For that, maybe but I'll also need you to help plan a defence and an attack on Old Castle Town if needed."

"What do you need me for?" he asked, puzzled, wakefulness returning more quickly now.

"You said yourself I'm not the best tactician, but I know that you can do a decent job of it, especially with some of ours helping you out. Wouldn't you rather do that than sit around Gleight bored until Ruto comes back with the army?"

"By the heavens, yes," Salin simply stated, grateful to be able to feel useful. He headed to the kitchens then and grabbed a roll, crammed it into his mouth, handed Cyrus the pencil and paper and found a kipper.

" _Beannachdan, urram bean Gleight_ ," Cyrus said, catching Salin off guard.

"Whah-omf," came the mouthful reply. He quickly gulped down his bite and answered " _Ro maluli uahno_. Shouldn't that have been the first thing you said to me before you ordered me to get out of bed?"

"I think you might have slurred something unintelligible and I never would have known if you were our changeling or not," the lairds-heir said with a shrug.

Salin nodded and finished his breakfast as they walked out of the keep. "Where did you have in mind?" he asked through his last mouthful. In answer, Cyrus pointed to a spot just outside the walls by the river. The zora nodded and began to head that direction.

Many throughout Gleight waved at the pair as they travelled, and many eyes lingered on the zora, never having seen peaceful lake zoras before. "Something wrong?" he asked a group of teenagers hanging around a market stall that he heard snickering at him.

"You forgot your trousers, zora sir," one of the boys said, causing the rest to giggle. Salin thought of many comebacks for this remark, but he didn't know what would have been too foul for the highlander culture so he simply grunted derisively and continued to the gates.

"No respect for their elders, those ones," Cyrus sighed, casting a backward look at them.

Salin rolled the pencil between his fingers as he looked back. "Were we any different when we were that age?"

"Speak for yourself. I certainly wasn't and I didn't know you until I was older," Cyrus dismissed.

Salin grinned. "Liar," he said quietly.

"I am not!" Cyrus protested. "Undying respect for your olders and betters has been pounded into my head since I could speak. Sometimes with a slap-rod."

"Ah, so if they needed to whack you to teach you; you were a disrespectful urchin!"

"Oh, yeah? What did your parents do?"

Suddenly, the zora's face became somber.

Cyrus, realizing that his friend never spoke about his family hastily apologized, "I'm sorry I forgot…"

"They put me in a tub full of piranhas, forced me to drink red potions to heal the wounds in my fins, then did it again until they felt I learned my lesson," he answered, an angry look on his face.

"I'm sorry…" Cyrus repeated.

"Do you know what the worst part was?" the other continued, ignoring the apology. "They would tie my arms and legs to my body and toss me in the lake. They wouldn't let me come back home until my dad 'fished' for me. I had to bite a hook and have it set and be dragged back to shore, then flop around until my parents were satisfied that I had not only learned my lesson, but I never would misbehave again."

The lairds-heir's face shone pure shock. "That's horrible! How could they get away with such things?!"

"They always found a way. I've spent time being field tortured that was a picnic compared to my childhood." He sighed wistfully. "Their strident punishments worked, I guess. They always made me feel horrible." The zora then broke into the largest and most mischievous smile Cyrus had ever seen. "But not nearly as horrible as I just made you feel! Hahahaha!"

The highlander stammered and rage formed in his eyes. "I… you…! I can't believe you!" he barked, punching the Zora in the arm.

Salin laughed through the hits that were being landed on him. "I've waited (ouch) all my life knowing you (ow) and not telling you about my family just so (ow!) I could do that! Oh it was rich! Hahaha!" He began to throw a few punches back himself. Some of the crowds stopped to watch without shock on their faces. Men commonly brawled with one another in the highlands, even in the middle of the streets.

"Ultimate shame upon you!" Cyrus growled, taking another swing. Still smiling because of his trick, Salin grabbed Cyrus in a headlock. The highlander used the same trick against his friend that Ruto had used: he picked up Salin by the waist, forcing his grip off and then dropping him. Salin rose up from his landing and patted Cyrus on the shoulder. "I'll let you have this one," he said, admitting defeat.

Cyrus huffed in satisfaction and resumed his path out of town. "What was your family _really_ like?" he asked the zora when he regained the pencil and paper and rejoined the highlander.

The zora sighed. "Much more uninteresting than what I told you. My family was all kelp farmers. Anytime I was punished I usually just got scolded, but every once in a while I would have to reap a piece of land a certain size with a sharktooth scythe instead of the coral ones we use now."

"What made you leave the family business?"

"I was always the more adventurous one out of all my brothers and sisters, and I thought that living life out as a kelp farmer would have been so boring as to be the death of me. Dad understood and was fine with me leaving and said that he'd leave the farm to my younger brother."

Cyrus appeared puzzled. "I thought you zoras didn't really have 'older and younger' siblings because you all hatch at the same time?"

Salin shook his head. "Not unless your ma lays more than one clutch, you don't."

The highlander's eyes widened. "Your parents have their hands full then, don't they?"

"There are a great deal of Bluescales in Zora's Domain," Salin confirmed.

"Do you ever visit them?"

"Not for some time… D'aw now you made me feel guilty!"

A short time later they had arrived at the spot where the zora camp would be made. "I guess it could accommodate the numbers we need, especially if we can camp over there on the far side and in the river as well," Salin said as he wrote calculations on the paper.

Cyrus nodded. "We might be able to persuade the Ohehla Clan to let us use that side. They've always been friendly to us."

"Wouldn't you just love to write up another diplomatic request?" Salin asked with a grin.

Cyrus rolled his eyes. "I need to get someone else to take care of those things for me," he decided. The zora paced over to the river and dove in. After a few moments underwater he broke the surface, making a large splash as he did so that wetted the lairds-heir. "It's plenty deep and there's a lot of fish in there. Provisions won't be too much of a problem," he said in satisfaction, recording the information on his paper. "Even if your neighbors don't want a lot of fish people on their shore we should be fine," he added.

 **"** **Great. That didn't take too long," Cyrus answered with a trace of relief. "Although now we have to plan our defence and our attack. Let's go."**


	10. Chapter 10

The ten guards accompanying Ruto toiled under the weight of the water-filled casket. It seemed to become slightly heavier with each step. After many rejected offers and eventually a direct order from the princess, she and Arah were allowed to help. Ruto quickly found, however that she was not as physically strong as any of those present, not even Arah. "Oof! I'm never going to go into Castle Town on the decorative litter again!" the princess vowed, massaging her shoulder when her shift was up.

Arah was soothing aching muscles as well. "A litter?" she asked.

"Yes, it's a platform that some nobility ride on that's carried by servants," she explained. "After lifting that one, I'm not so sure I would put my servants through that again."

The highlander maiden parted her mouth slightly in understanding. "We don't have those in the highlands, really. Lairds will usually just travel with an armed guard, some on horseback though only a few clans will do that."

"A rest, if you please, milady?" asked a panting soldier. The company had been travelling for some time up and down the craggy hills of the highlands which put a great strain on all involved in carrying the casket, especially while trying to keep it level to not slosh out all the water. Again, Ruto felt concern for her attendants. They would go through much the same again when they would be cresting the dunes of the Gerudo Desert, but then it would be under blistering heat and her added weight in the casket while the sand would give and slide underneath them with that weight.

"Of course, soldier. Let us all rest for a moment. This journey has been tiring indeed," Ruto granted, extremely grateful for the respite herself. The princess surveyed the vast landscape of the Trilby Highlands. The tall rolling hills of deep vibrant green had frequent outcroppings of white granite jutting out, like leevers emerging from sand. There were not many trees, except for those gathered around the rivers. Although beautiful, these green hills made travel very difficult. The low, overcast sky cast a pall over the whole that made the hills look more intimidating.

"It's beautiful," Ruto sighed. "Though maybe difficult to live in."

Arah nodded in confirmation. "It may be because of the lack of large tracts of farmable land that the clans fight with each other. We may all be Eulia's children, but we are a rather quarrelsome lot."

"The Gleight Clan seems to be fairly well off, from what I've seen."

"Certainly, Clan Gleight is one of the wealthier clans because of the trade and fishing along the river."

Ruto smiled. "With the river close by, my people should be quite comfortable camped out by your city."

"I can imagine," Arah replied. "It certainly made us a target for zora raiders."

"Yes, those would have been river zoras," Ruto clarified, slightly indignant that she had to make that distinction. She did not want there to be any mistake of the differences between her people and their barbaric cousins. " A fiendish offshoot of our people. They used to look like us, but the predominant theory on how they came to become so vile and hideous is that some zoran witches and warlocks began dabbling in forbidden magics which twisted their forms into the creatures they are now."

"They were descended from magic-users? We never saw any of them use magic except that they could blow fireballs."

The princess shrugged. "I think they may have lost their magical ability sometime during their transformation. In our own wars with them they have had no mages, either."

Arah stretched. "It may be a mystery that we never know, and frankly, I don't care to know any more about those swamp bloats than I have to. Shall we continue, milady?"

Ruto gave the order to the company to resume their journey, all feeling rested enough to continue. For some time later they travelled without incident. Following the guards' guidance, the company bore north toward the desert. The land became noticeably smoother and the grass began to grow in patches rather than the great carpets that it had been previously. "Shall we make camp here for the night, milady?" one of the guards suggested when they came near a pond a few hours later. Ruto looked toward the horizon. The sun still had some time to go before it would fall behind Mount Crenel to the west.

"It seems a little early to make camp to me only to not travel the rest of the day," she said in decline. "Unless your suggestion is to rest for a while and resume in a few hours when night has fallen to make the desert leg of our journey cooler."

"Princess, we don't want to travel by night through the desert," came the reply and indirect clarification.

"Why not? The Gerudo raiding parties aren't likely to be any different at any given time of day and I won't sun dry nearly as quickly in the cool of night, not to mention that you highlanders will be sunburned until you're purple if we traveled it during the day."

"How far out is the desert?" Arah asked.

A few soldiers looked out over the landscape to the east. "About six hours," answered one.

"I'd say it'd be more around ten," said another.

"Either way," the captain shouted above the commotion. "We'll nae make it there before we need to travel it during the night unless we have some rest now. We'll camp now for six hours and then embark on our journey once again. We'll begin again around dusk, as the princess suggested. If what the men say is true, it should break dawn by the time we reach the desert. Does this please milady?"

The princess nodded, and with sighs of relief those carrying the coffin set it down and began to spread out bedrolls and make a couple of cookfires. Ruto approached the pond and immersed herself. She closed her eyes and took peaceful breaths, letting the cool water flow in and out of her gills. Her peace was rudely interrupted however, when she felt something stick to one of her gill flaps. Bolting out of the water she yelped "What are these things?!" as she tried to rip several slimy black creatures off only to have her hand keep on slipping off of them.

All of the soldiers suppressed their laughter, and only Arah was unable to contain herself. "Those are leeches," she giggled, helping the zora detach them. "They stick to you and suck your blood."

"That doesn't sound very funny to me!" Ruto hissed irritably as she managed to yank one loose. No blood issued from the wound, but a discolored spot where the leech had been indicated that the creature took a few of her scales when she tore it off, as did the others when removed. "I'd rather deal with piranhas than these any day," the princess said with a shudder when the last leech had been removed. "Is there anywhere safe to swim in the highlands?"

Arah thought for a moment. "I really don't know, princess. I'm not much of a swimmer and I've only been in the river beside Gleight. That one is safe to swim in, though."

As ordered by the captain the company all arose at dusk. Most were in a good humor with the exception of the newer soldiers who were not used to short rests as were their more experienced companions.

Stars began to fade from the sky when the princess and the highlanders had entered the desert. "It feels like the moisture in the air has completely disappeared," Ruto commented, clamboring into the water-filled casket.  
"Old Hyrule was a small kingdom," one of the guards began. "It's possible to traverse it as we have in a short time, but it will be at least two days before we can span this desert, possibly more because we have some extra weight."

"Sun burning and sun drying may happen regardless, then," Ruto said in resignation. "Is there any way you can keep yourselves from burning? I remember Cyrus telling me about how he once got so burned he was physically ill. I don't want this happening to you, even if it is something that would slow us down slightly."

"You honor us to think of our health, princess," the captain replied with a bow. He then ran his fingers through his fiery orange hair. "Other than restricting our travel to the night hours-which would be very unwise, I haven't any other suggestion, but that would mean trying to sleep in this desert during the day," he suggested. Ruto shook her head in response.

"The gerudos would easily be able to gain an advantage over us if made camp during the day," she said in refusal.

"And it would be too unbearably hot to sleep during the day," Arah concluded, with the other soldiers murmuring their approval.

The captain had to agree with the women when they pointed out these setbacks. "Camping during the day is not an option then, even if we do set up watches. You are right about the gerudos. They can strike fast and hard enough that our watch would be dead before we could even muster those of us sleeping. But that still begs the question of what we can do about the sun," he acknowledged.

Ruto began to think about just how hot the day would be when it would come. The harsh sun beating on her and the small container of water would make it heat up rather quickly. She found herself wishing for her shaded littler. Thinking of this old luxury forcefully struck her mind. "Captain!" she called in excitement.

Hearing the princess's enthusiasm brought hope to the highlander. "What is it, milady? You have an idea?" he asked, his excitement matching hers.

"Yes! In my entourages to Castle Town my litter had a shade over it. We can use the tents to shade all of us. If you have brought needles and thread we can sew a few together and use the poles to support it and make a big enough shade to cover us all," she piped.

Voices of assent came from all around the soldiers and they immediately began to work. Ruto even lit out of her casket to help arrange the tents because there was no danger of her sun drying in the desert dawn. The shade completed to their satisfaction, they packed it away for when it would be needed.

In the midst of this all, Arah voiced a concern. "You mentioned that the gerudos can strike us fast and hard during the day if we're camped then. What's to stop them from attacking us at night and as we travel? I doubt we could see them very well."

"Their raiding parties are usually fewer during the night, and we'll be able to see them coming during the day," the captain replied confidently. "We'll be fine."

Arah's eyes widened slightly at the prospect of that long of a forced march. "Are you sure that's wise?" she asked, trying to make her protest sound like she was debating the overall wisdom behind the decision and not so much voicing her own doubts about her ability to undertake the venture.

The captain, however, saw through this. "If you don't think you can, lass, you can always head back to Gleight," he said with a smirk.

"Certainly not!" Arah protested vehemently. "Lorelei-Ruto is my friend! I'm not going to abandon her!"

"Good heart, lass," the guard lauded before turning and ordering the company onward.

"Why do all of you keep calling me Lorelei? All of you guards at least must have heard the Wanderer tell you what my name really is," Ruto said when she climbed back into her casket.

"The Wanderer came and I missed her? Cruel fate!" Arah groaned at the same time a soldier answered Ruto's question.

"Lorelei of the mourning rock is a river queen of legend. I suppose that the clan feels that the name fits you. Many highlanders have something of an 'earned name,' and it seems this is yours. Some have even begun to call Cyrus 'Rupee-Lover,' for example, because he was a mercenary," he explained. "Others in our history have had such names: Alasdair Honor-sword, for his valor; Icen Zorahammer, for his skill at defending against the river raiders, to name a few. Our own laird has earned himself a name as well: Bruga Justice-Dealer for his firm and just dealings with the clan."

"I cannot say I much appreciate Cyrus's 'earned name' as you call it," she muttered.

The next day was rather mundane for Cyrus and Salin. Most of it was spent arranging embassies, drilling, coordinating defense, and training new soldiers. During the drilling and training the polearmsmen were particularly impressed with the new tactics that Salin had introduced to them.

Throughout all of this, Bruga arrived to inspect their progress. Salin issued the coded greeting to him, which the zora butchered because of his unfamiliarity with the Trilby language. This caused Cyrus to snigger, punished by a sharp elbow from his friend in rebuke. It was Salin's turn to laugh, however when Bruga responded to the code with the zoran reply. His gravelly and deep husky voice sounded strange speaking zoran, which language was usually spoken by a people whose voices were smooth and melodic, though his pronunciation was very well done for someone who did not speak it.

"It doesn't matter how we said as long as we know what was said," the laird answered dismissively. "How go the soldiers?"

"Your men fight like berserkers, laird," Salin pointed out coolly. "It's hard to keep them in solid defensive lines when they want so badly to get to fighting. Keeping them together and fighting as an organized unit is essential to keep this army intact on the battlefield."

Bruga regarded the zora. "You keep in organized lines?" he asked finally.

Salin was puzzled. "Yes… It's common battlefield strategy to keep order where you can. Certainly chaos can be used on occasion, but disorganization will lead to divisions in your forces where they can be separated and easily mowed down."

"Highlanders have always fought in loose ranks…" Bruga began.

"More like no ranks," Salin huffed quietly. Bruga leered at him for his out-of-line comment.

"However, fish-man if you feel that your new tactics will win us these battles, you have my leave. Keep in mind that if the men spend too much time unlearning and relearning how to march it will take away valuable time to prepare for more important things," he growled before leaving the two.

"I'm not sure your pop likes me very much," Salin murmured quietly to the lairds-heir.

"He seems like that to most people. He's got soft spots, though," Cyrus replied in defence of his father. The zora shrugged in reply and continued to drill the soldiers.

Some time later, a bedraggled guardsman came rushing toward them, interrupting their training. "Cyrus! Cyrus! Lairds-heir!" he panted. He looked as if he had exerted all of his energy to find Cyrus. The lairds-heir supported the soldier to keep him from falling.

"What is it?" Cyrus asked directly.

"The… changeling," the guardsman began, taking deep breaths.

"What about it?" Salin asked, concern rising within him.

"We almost had him! He had taken the form of your father! We saw the true laird walking toward the keep and out of nowhere his double charged the true laird with bloodshed in his eye…"

"How did you know which was the true laird?" Salin interrupted.

"He had trained a few of us guards who he knew to be men and not demon with the call and response that you had used with Lorelei, Arah, and the both of you," he replied impatiently.

Both Salin and Cyrus felt their hearts sink at what they felt to be an unwise decision, but they allowed the guard to continue. "When other soldiers joined in, the false laird saw he was lost and he broke through and fled toward the east gate," he concluded.

"By Eulia!" Cyrus gasped. "He's on his way toward Ruto! If he cuts them off before they get back to Hyrule we're doomed!"

"Right you are," Salin answered. "Soldier, have you sent runners out to intercept him?"

"We dispatched ten riders to cut him off, Sir!" the soldier answered crisply.

"Good," Cyrus nodded. "You may see to your duties."

The guard gave a short bow before hurrying off again.

Salin placed a hand on Cyrus shoulder. "Don't deny what I'm about to say to you. More than anything I know you're worried about Ruto, but worrying won't keep her safe. Don't you think about chasing after her, either. The riders will do their job so you can do yours," he said soberly. Cyrus had to admit that his friend was right and he nodded in reluctant affirmation.

"Besides," the lairds-heir eventually added for confidence. "The changeling is out of the city now. We don't need to divert our focus to it any longer and we can probably do away with our little code." Salin grunted in acknowledgement and went back to the troops.

Even with the makeshift shade over themselves, Ruto and her escort were having a difficult time staying cool. Still, they were all thankful to have at least some degree of protection from the oppressive sun. They only stopped momentarily on two occasions to unpack cheerless, dry, and cold meals. As dangerous as the desert was they always ate on the move with their eyes darting nervously around for any signs of leevers or worse.

The captain forced all of them to strictly ration their water to ensure they had enough to manage the desert. Even with the repeated promise that Lake Hylia would be immediately after the desert, Ruto caught several of the soldiers staring voraciously at her casket. At one point Arah tried to remove her armor to be clothed in the least allowable degree of modesty to keep off the heat, but a stern warning forced her to rethink her actions. "The gerudos can pop up anywhere. You always want your armor on up here, as unbearable as it might be," the captain cautioned.

All the members of the company forged tensely ahead. Conversation ceased and jealousy formented toward Ruto because she was cooler than the rest and didn't have to endure the slashing sands carried by the wind as they did. Though this was true, the zora princess felt that she was a great burden to her escorts, even as used to being carried on a litter as she was. She longed to come out of her casket to help alleviate the weight placed on those suffering in her behalf. At one point she even had to point this out to defend herself when she heard complaints on the breath of some of the soldiers who were suggesting that she were excess baggage and that she be required to walk like all of them.

"I don't enjoy your suffering," she protested vehemently. "If I don't stay in this casket I well could die, and if that should happen this whole venture would be for naught and Gleight will fall. Surely you see this?" Soldiers murmured their answers, though they did not sound gracious. "I am sorry for what you have to go through, but think of your homes, your families! You are not doing this for me, you do this for them," she continued.

"Listen princess," sneered a soldier, setting the casket down along with his fellows who began to massage their aching shoulders. "Why don't you carry this box and see what it feels like! We're all breaking our backs for your comfort. Even Lady Arah had to help us, and she hasn't stood straight ever since we came into this desert. You can walk with the rest of us. If you can't make it then we'll toss you in the lake when we get there to bring you back around."

"Chehoul!" barked the captain in rebuke. He was certainly feeling the pressure that the rest were, but as a superior officer he had to keep his head as an example for those under him. Ruto was about to send a scathing return to the soldier who had insulted her, and it was all she could do to contain her calm in her tired state. Flaring tempers would be of no help here.

Though she tried to restrain herself, the guards and the captain weren't so willing. The only thing that could tear through their heated debate that nearly came to blows was the arrow that came zipping in and burrowed itself into Chehoul's leg.

While he was roaring in more anger than pain, the rest of the soldiers threw down the shade and at the order of the captain formed a protective shield ring around Ruto. "Gerudos!" howled a warning soldier when he saw a few cones of sand blast out from the ground in the immediate area.

"Defend the princess!" the captain shouted over the commotion.

Several gerudos from all around began to close in toward the highlanders, whooping and calling as they did. They outnumbered them at least two to one. As was common, the gerudos were all beautiful females dressed in brief purple shirts and billowing pants of the same color. However, they were armed differently than gerudos usually were. Most of the time gerudos are nearly exclusively armed with their characteristic pikes, the exceptions being their officers who use scimitars.

This particular raiding party bore mixed armaments. Many had the usual pikes, several also had scimitars and shields while a few others wielded bows. Within their forces a handful could also be seen holding maces. As yet none of them had readied their weapons.

"Any who dare cross the desert without permission are prey of the gerudos!" one of the thieves proclaimed.

Bitter replies of defiance broke out from among the highlanders as well as threats of the lowest kind.

"Your insolence will not go unpunished!" a different gerudo announced haughtily.

The highlander captain stood out from the rest of his men and addressed the thieves. "A dozen gerudos are easy prey for one highlander! You stand no chance, sand rats! Make it easy on yourselves and let us pass!" he shouted defiantly. The crowd of gerudos rustled angrily as they prepared their weapons. Ruto saw that she had to do something before the the thieves all came down on them.

"Hold!" she cried in her commanding royal's voice. All present shifted impatiently and uneasily, but they yielded to the princess. "Honorable gerudos," she began. Scoffs of derision broke out from the highlanders. A few even spat. "I am Princess Ruto of the zoras. We pass through your vast lands to reach our own. A darkness is forming in old Hyrule that will consume all, even you, if it is not stopped. We go to the Zora Kingdom to enlist the aid of our armies to vanquish this evil. It is in your best interest, ladies, if you permit us passage through your desert."

For a moment, silence drifted on the wind of the desert, then the gerudos all broke into harsh, mocking laughter. "How cliche!" could be heard, along with other insults. "Zoras? Coming through the desert? Laughable!"

The princess shivered in the harsh desert sun when she heard some more sinister comments such as, "I want that one there with the beard and chainmail. He looks like he'd sire strong children and would be good sport even with the drug."

A loud voice rose from among the thieves. "You make us laugh, princess. You embark on a fool's venture in the company of useless males. Highlanders at that! In spite of this, we still extend to you the same offer we now offer all women who venture through the desert: If you and the other girl prove yourselves, you can join our ranks as equals. The men we will take as spoils and do with them as we please, whether for studding or labor. If you refuse us, you will be slaves like them," the gerudo demanded.

Before the princess could make a more level headed and tactful response, Arah shrieked, "Harpies! The lot of you! You shall pay for even _thinking_ that a highlander can be your property!" Then the fiery-tempered highlander maiden spat on the ground and flung a throwing knife into the crowd. One of the gerudos screamed in pain and fell to the ground clutching her stomach where the dagger struck.

Stunned silence reigned for a few moments before whoever was leading the Gerudo howled, "Attack you fools! Dead or alive!" As soon as she gave the order, all the thief women surged forward to the highlanders, weapons drawn.

As one, all of the highlanders bellowed " _Euliaaa_!" so forcefully that it caused a few of the gerudos to falter. These fell quickly to the lethal blades of the red-haired warrior folk. Arah grinned impishly toward Ruto before she drew her own shortsword and entered the fray. The princess hardened her fins and prepared for a tough fight.

Arah chose a pikewoman first. As the weapon was being thrusted, she grabbed the pole and shoved it to the side. Closing distance she impaled the gerudo on the tip of her blade. A scimitar marred her armor before she whipped around to see two other Gerudos, both armed with scimitars and shields. Given to the usual aggressive highlander battle tactic, she rushed forward, bashing aside one strike while absorbing another. Arah slashed viciously at the scimitars as they make their way towards her. She gained ground on the two gradually and dispatched them. Once she had, she picked up their scimitars and hurled them into the crowd of gerudos pressing in. Noticing a dead highlander next to her, she keened in anger and picked up his sword and kissed the hilt and charged into battle with two blades.

Ruto was frightened at the wild fashion the highlanders fought with. She wasn't only frightened at how they fought, but she was also frightened for them. Already four of them had fallen, though not without killing several gerudos each in the process. The princess began to wonder hopefully if the captain's threat wasn't in vain. Especially when she saw that all of the deaths inflicted on the highlanders thus far were from the archers standing behind the mob of gerudos that were fighting toe to toe.

"Arah!" the princess called out over the cacophony. "We'll be destroyed if something isn't done about those archers! Help me flank them and stop them!" she ordered. Arah appeared very wild while fighting. The rapid movement had disheveled her hair and her eyes had an animal-like tinge to them. She showed plenty of understanding to the princess, however and nodded in understanding and began to make her way to the side, joined by the princess.

Intercepting the princess were three Gerudo warriors, one with a pike, another with a scimitar and shield, and the last with a mace and shield. She could tell that beneath their veils they were smirking triumphantly. Even if the Gerudos were confident with their odds, Ruto was certain of her victory. The pike armed warrior advanced first to take advantage of her long reach. The one with the scimitar stood by her side, ready just in case the princess was able to get inside the pikewoman's effective reach. The mace armed soldier hung back behind the other two, ready in case she would be needed.

Once the pikewoman thrusted her weapon, the zora already knew she won. Pulling on the pike as it was thrust, she added extra momentum to the attack which caused her target to topple over. She lunged in toward the scimitar armed warrior, prepared for the strike that would be made against her. She evaded the blow and drove her fin into her enemy's sword arm, causing the gerudo to shriek in pain and drop the blade. Ruto then swept her leg under the gerudo's, knocking her over before she drove her fin into the raider's throat and ending her.

While she was low she grabbed a handful of sand and threw it into the eyes of the macewoman who had barely advanced within reach. The macewoman yowled in pain and even dropped her weapon. By this time the pike armed gerudo had risen again, rage in her eyes, but this did not disturb the princess. Pushing aside the pike again she closed distance and round kicked the gerudo in the face. She slashed the gerudo's throat with her fins with the same motion that she turned to see the third warrior she was facing reclaim her weapon. Even though she was armed now, she was blinking furiously, which made her as good as blinded. Ruto dove into the macewoman and cracked her neck before the pair hit the ground.

A rage blinded Arah mowed her way easily toward the archers until a mace careened into her head and knocked her unconscious. "Arah!" Ruto cried, charging toward macewoman standing over Arah ready to crush her skull.

"You weren't really planning on taking any prisoners were you?" the macewoman heard whispered into her ear when Ruto had wrapped an arm around her neck and had a fin in her back. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruto saw a few gerudos closing in on her. In response she killed the one she was holding and threw her as best as she could into the approaching warriors.

The princess's martial arts training had even included teaching her how to lift an inert body with her lithe form, which training allowed her to lift Arah now. Her eyes and mind both raced as she considered her options. Should she deliver Arah to the highlanders for her safety, or should she take her back to dispatch the archers so there would be highlanders to take her back to?

Interrupting her thoughts came the sound of a few more cones of sand blasting around her. She was now surrounded. Gingerly, the princess set down Arah's motionless body and stared down the gerudos defiantly. "You're doomed! Slack your fins now or we'll bury you here!" one of the thieves ordered. When Ruto saw that they did indeed have enough warriors to make good on their threat, she dropped to her knees in despair, although her face was still proud and her back erect.

Hearing shouts of protest around her, she presumed that the gerudos had just subdued the other warriors. Several gerudos stepped forward with rope to tie up their prey.

As the princess's escort cursed the gerudos, a welcome highlander battle cry rent the air. This voice, however came from the direction the princess's company had come and not from among their ranks. The thieves looked back and hastily prepared their weapons, attention coming away from their prisoners.

Charging toward the battle was Bruga, a look of fury on his face that Ruto had never seen. Indeed, she wondered if Cyrus had even seen his father this angry. He was wielding a war axe in his left hand and a longsword in the other. Many of the thief women fell before him, but they only truly showed fear when they saw ten highlander riders very close behind him. These riders thundered through the ranks of the Gerudos, trampling any that were in their path. Once they had scattered the mob, they all dismounted and began to fight the remaining gerudos.

With new aid to the highlanders, the gerudos were routed. A few of the riders clambered back onto their horses and ran down any gerudos that they could, retreating before any damage could be done to them. Almost as quickly as all of this happened, all of the riders surrounded Bruga, weapons toward him, but he did not move.

"We have you now, changeling! Lay down your arms and face justice! You've attempted to splinter the marriage of Cyrus and Lorelei, with worse intent for the wife!" the head rider accused. Bruga stood tranquilly. "I'm not the changeling," he replied calmly, setting his weapons down.

"And how are we to believe you, _laird?"_ the rider sneered, leaning down. Ruto stepped forward to the surprise of the company of riders.

"You aren't hurt are you?" a rider asked the zora.

"I'm fine, but you should see to Arah and the others. Many were wounded and a few were killed," she ordered. In response, two riders dismounted to attend to the wounded. Satisfied that those of her guard would be well cared for, she turned to face Bruga. " _Beannachdan, urram fear de Gleight_ ," Ruto greeted, using the code that she, Arah, Cyrus, Salin, and Bruga had formed earlier.

Bruga appeared puzzled, then his face changed to a smile. "You seek to greet me in my own tongue, lass, but you still have much to learn…"

"You!" Ruto gasped, interrupting the laird.

"I beg your pardon, princess?" the laird asked, taken aback.

"You've failed our code! You are the changeling!"  
Angry shouts broke out from among the highlanders as many prepared their weapons. No highlander had any love for changelings, and now each one of them had the chance to get a piece of him. Over the noise, however, Bruga's voice boomed, "I am no changeling! If I were I wouldn't be so stupid as to attack an armed entourage in the middle of the desert!"

The princess held up a hand to order the highlanders to stop. Reluctantly they obeyed, keeping their weapons ready. "That may be…" the princess answered. "But is there any other way you can prove that you are Laird Bruga?"

"Very little," the large man admitted with a sigh. "I had been in hiding much of the time since you've come to Gleight, lass. I knew that if I was ever found out I would be the one thought to be the changeling, rather than the one who truly was. That very thing happened earlier, as you can see by this escort of mine here," he indicated the riders. "All I ask is that you take what I ask you on faith, lass. That's all I _can_ ask. I have no way to prove that I really am who I say I am. All I truly can say is that since your wedding ceremony the Bruga you've been seeing is the fake."

The princess calculated how else she could find out if this truly was the Laird of Gleight. This Bruga claimed that it was only after the wedding ceremony that he truly knew that the changeling had the appearance of the laird.

After some thinking, an idea came to the princess. She knew that it would cause great emotional pain to the laird-if this one was real-and the she didn't like the idea, but it was the only way she could think of. "Cyrus once told me of your brother," she began. "His name was Euen. He met an awful fate at the hands of a bulbin raiding party. That must have been painful indeed for you," she said remorsefully.

The normally stony face of the highlander laird turned down. "You bring up a painful memory at a time when it needn't be lass," he replied, remorse in his voice as well. "What's worse, you butcher the tale that surely my son would have told you in truth," he continued, a note of anger in his voice as well. Ruto on the other hand, was taking hope. It seemed like this might be the true laird.

"I'm deeply sorry," she apologized. "It was a painful tale for my beloved as well, and it has been a long while since he told it to me. If you would correct me, honorable laird," she requested.

The anger was gone from Bruga's face, but painful memories that long ago left their mark on him began to claw at his being once again. For years he had tried to bury that awful day under other thoughts in his mind and the princess pulled them out of the abyss he had thrown them and caused them to beleaguer him once again.

"It was a night some seventeen years ago," he began, a tear escaping his eye and running into his beard. "Euen was my other son. He and Cyrus were close only as brothers could be. On the night I speak of they were playing outside of Gleight in the field. Cyrus ran to me in hysterics. He was so distraught he couldn't even form a whole word together. It wasn't until several minutes later that I could even get him to form a sentence."

The laird choked again. He fought and struggled to keep his tears from his people around him, but he lost the struggle and failed. Many of the highlanders gathered around shifted uneasily under the oppressive heat of the desert. "He told me that his younger brother had been pulled to the otherworld by stalchildren. My son was not dead, he became undead! Doomed to live as some monstrosity, slave to a forgotten magic until someone can end his twisted immortality!" Bruga howled.

It was then that Ruto knew the man who stood before her was the true Laird Bruga. Not only had he related the tale of the loss of his other son the way she knew the events transpired, his pain could only be that of a parent who had lost his child. She had seen such distress on her own father's face when she had been gone longer than she usually had. She knew that she would see that very expression once again.

The laird was surprised to find the young zora woman embracing him comfortingly. "Laird Bruga," she said. "You are the true laird! I'm sorry that I had to bring such a painful memory back to you, but it was the only way."

Bruga returned the embrace. "I understand, daughter. I understand," he eventually said once he had stanched his tears.

 **When they parted, the head rider called out to the others of his group, "You've heard it with your own ears! This man is the true laird Bruga! We've left the changeling behind in Gleight! The laird's family must be warned! We ride for Gleight!" he ordered earnestly.**


	11. Chapter 11

"Again!" Salin barked at the warhammer armed highlanders. He'd been drilling them for some time to build their stamina. The heavy weapon was a novelty to the zoran race, who preferred lighter and faster armaments. There were a few exceptions, of course, Salin among them. When he found that so many highlanders used such powerful weapons he was eager to exploit their applications, namely using their incredible weight to batter through any defences marshalled against them. Splintered remains of practice shields littered the ground in testament of this training.

"They could go on for some time swinging those even before your training," Cyrus pointed out.

"Well, now they can go on for a while longer. What do you want from me?" Salin asked testily. The drilling had been going relatively well, considering that highlander battle tactics were so different than those used by hyruleans.

"Your warriors charge headlong into battle, leaving behind anyone that's too slow to keep up. If the ones on the front line get too far from the main group they get slaughtered. They need to learn order or you'll lose some prime men on a ruinous initial charge," the zora said in frustration.

"Watch them closely," the lairds-heir advised. "They make wide swings most of the time so they benefit from the loose formations that they attack in."  
"And swinging so wide will leave them open to further attack! That's one of the problems I have to deal with!" Salin shouted.

Cyrus, giving in to his highlander side since he was in the presence of his people responded with a rising temper. "And you don't swing wide?! Furthermore, we _do_ have battle tactics already, in case you didn't notice. We're not idiots!"

"They need to learn to work with each other! They fight as individuals, not as a group!" the zora returned, his temper rising as well.

Before Cyrus could make another remark, a lieutenant called out above the other two. "General! Lairds-heir! If I may speak!" he cried, but he went unheard. In response he did what was common among highlanders when they needed to get attention they weren't receiving; he threw a solid punch into Cyrus's head.

"Aurgh!" the lairds-heir yowled, rubbing his nose. " _What_?!" he roared.

"If you'll pardon me, lairds-heir," the lieutenant began, much more calm than the other two. "It might be best for our men if we continued to fight as we do, yet blend the fish-man's tactics into our style. He's right about the first ones into battle, they usually are the first to die, but if we fight as a unit yet still use our usual aggression, then we'd be more effective and we wouldn't need to relearn how to fight," he suggested.

Both Salin and Cyrus had to agree with the lieutenant's logic, and thus they conceded to change the drilling regimen accordingly. Their solution was to have the soldiers still march in ranks, but in very loose and wide formation to allow the soldiers the room they needed to fight wildly as they did, as well was making sure that in a charge there wouldn't be a small number that would advance too far ahead of the rest. Unfortunately they didn't have the time to see if the new tactics would truly be that effective before the decisive battle would be upon them.

As their tempers fell and they resumed the drilling, a courier came running to Cyrus. "Lairds-heir! Lairdess Calhia and Hira have returned! They approach from the south gates!" he panted. The lairds-heir's eyes widened and he hurried off immediately, trailed by Salin.

"Who are Lairdess Calhia and Hira?" the zora asked, struggling to keep up. Cyrus either did not hear or he ignored his friend.

"Cyrus!" the zora pressed again. Soon enough, however, he found out just who these two newcomers were. Riding two silky horses while surrounded by guards were two highlander women, one appeared to be slightly younger than the lairds-heir and the other around the same age as the Laird Bruga himself.

The older of the two had streaks of gray running through her rust colored hair. Her face was careworn yet still held the beauty and bearing of nobility. A few trace wrinkles and other signs of aging were showing on her face. Her hair hung to about her shoulders. A golden circlet with fine emeralds rested on the crown of her head. She stood a little taller than the average hylian woman, but still shorter than the men, at about five feet nine inches. She was clothed in an exquisite emerald green dress that gave off a sheen when in the light. Glass sequins of similar color were in a criss-crossing pattern of the skirt of the dress and on her collar.

The other woman had hair the same bright orange shade as most of the other highlanders, which hair was tied back into a long braid that fell just below her mid back. Her eyes were the same sapphire blue shade as Cyrus's, and she had the same nose as he and the other woman had as well. She wore a dress similar to her older compatriot. Overall she was attractive, but not what most men would consider beautiful.

"Ma!" Cyrus cried as he embraced the older of the two once they dismounted. Her eyes widened and she smiled in rapturous surprise before she returned the gesture, tears now streaming down her face.

"Is this young Cyrus?" she asked. "My, how you've grown! Your father and I had been so worried about you!" Lairdess Calhia sobbed joyfully.

Once they had loosed from one another, Cyrus looked toward the other woman, who had her arms folded before her, looking sternly at him. "You left us without any sort of honor in your parting to become a mercenary scum! Do you have any idea…"

"Aw, Hira is that any way to greet your brother you haven't seen in ten years?" Cyrus answered, hugging his sister as well, giving her a light peck on the cheek.

The gesture melted her stony heart and she found that she could not stay angry at her brother. Soon she returned the embrace. "We were so worried about you…" she added quietly.

"And who is this, then?" the lairdess asked, turning to Salin. She had a curious look on her face similar to that of the ordonians who had never seen a zora before.

As much as this critical look frustrated him, he bowed low in deep respect. "Salin Bluescale at your service, lairdess," he introduced. "Prakau-or general-of the zoran army if you prefer."

"You don't look like any zora I've seen…" Hira said suspiciously.

"What you know as zoras around here are river zoras. I am a lake zora. We're from New Hyrule across the desert," he explained bluntly.

"We don't have many visitors from so far away," the lairdess said. "Have you enjoyed Gleight?"

"I have," the zora said simply. "With the exception of a changeling wandering around here."

"Changeling?" Calhia gaped, alarmed. "There hasn't been a changeling in Gleight since about two years after you left."

"It's been taken care of," Cyrus assured to terminate the subject. More and more, any reference to his leaving Gleight troubled him. Though he enjoyed his mercenary career, he was eager to bury this part of his personal history and never bring it back up again as it reminded him of how he turned his back on his clan. "It took Da's form," he added.

Hira and Calhia both appeared disgusted at this. "That was low, even for a changeling," Hira murmured. "I'm glad that you've found it out."

"As are we," Salin cut in. "Everyone was on edge and distracted because of it, wondering who it was constantly. It was almost as if we'd have a witch hunt here."

"Witch hunt?" both women asked. Salin was baffled that they had never heard of a witch hunt. He saw that many highlanders were quite superstitious. He assumed that surely because of this they would be searching out witches among themselves.

"We have no witches here, only druids," Cyrus explained. "And they're held in high regard, except for dark druids, but they blatantly distinguish themselves so there's no 'witch hunting,'"

Salin gave a silent "Ah."

"Father told me that you were on diplomatic journeys. How were they?" the lairds-heir asked.

"We visited two clans each," Hira began. "Harhanna is firm against the darkness, but they will not work with the Danyi Clan. They will fight it, but on their own."

The lairdess spoke now, elaborating on her experiences. "The Yas'har clan will be with us as we expected. Manra attacked us on sight. They still seem to be decided to war against all other clans, in favor of or against the evil," she concluded with lamentation.

"What about your other clan?" Salin asked the younger of the women. Her face turned ashen and solemn. "They attacked you as well?" he asked in understanding.

Hira shook her head. "Worse," she said quietly. Out of her satchel she took a small banner. She unfurled it, revealing a black background with a blood-red skull on it. Four swords were impaling the skull. The highlander words for "Randluhi sends Ruha's curse upon you. Gleight will be dust, salt will be sown in her soil."

"Those _curs_!" Cyrus roared in fury, clenching the banner in his hand.

"I don't understand your strong reaction," Salin said. "I thought you said that clans were more or less constantly at war. This looks like it's nothing more than a declaration of war."

Calhia's voice trembled slightly when she made her explanation. "This is a blood vendetta. This is no declaration of war, Salin Bluescale, this clan is committed to our annihilation."

"This just because you asked for their help against the enemy of light?" the zora asked, now completely perplexed.

Hira shook her head. It looked like she was restraining tears. "I don't know why. I suppose they're so sworn to follow our enemies that they want our eradication."

"Have they done this for other clans?" Cyrus asked.

"I couldn't ask, they drove me out as soon as they gave me the banner."

"I'll ask Lodhai when I send their embassy. They're leaning towards following Galhedda, along with us, and we can find if Randluhi's done the same with them."

Lairdess Calhia nodded gravely. She smiled slightly when she spoke to Cyrus again. "It's wonderful to see you again after all these years, son, but you'll have to excuse us. We need to report our labors to your father," she said.

Salin bowed low while both Calhia and Hira left. "An honor to meet you lairdess and uh...," he said, unsure of what Hira's title.

"Laird's-heiress," Cyrus enlightened.

Once the women had left earshot, he turned to Cyrus. "You've never really said much about your mother and sister, other than just in passing, of course."

The lairds-heir shrugged. "I just… didn't," he eventually dismissed. "I didn't talk about my family much period if you remember."

Salin nodded in understanding. "Why is that?" he asked.

Cyrus thought for a moment. When he figured out the answer, he flushed slightly. "Because it was too painful, It think. Even before I married Ruto I realized what I'd done when I ran from here…"

"Lairds-heir!" cried a soldier, running with all speed to Cyrus and Salin.

"Certainly has been an exciting morning…" Salin murmured when the guard stopped before them, panting.

"What is it? What's going on?" the lairds-heir asked, growing concerned at the manner the soldier was carrying himself.

"I swear to you, I saw Shar earlier, but there were two of him, Cyrus! _Two_ of him! We still have changelings among us!" he gasped.

Both the lairds-heir's and the zora's eyes widened in alarm. "Is anybody watching him-them?" Salin asked, tightening his grip on his polearm, prepared to weed out these imposters as soon as possible.

The soldier continued, not answering Salin's question. "That's not even the worst of it! They were talking to each other! Nobody would speak with his own changeling unless they're both changelings. I don't know where the real Shar is, but we have at least two doppelgangers in Gleight!" he explained hysterically.

Cyrus's heart sank at the question. "We don't even know however many we have here, we don't know for sure who is one or who isn't one," he said. "We need to tell father immediately. At least we know that he's not," he said eventually after a moment's thought.

"How do we know that for sure, Cyrus?" Salin cautioned. "Certainly we know that your real father is here somewhere, but when we find someone that looks like him, how will we know who it is-oh right, the password. Let's go."

In a few hurried moments, Cyrus and Salin had reached the keep. Salin grabbed Cyrus's shoulder and subtly pointed towards a person that appeared identical to someone they saw outside only seconds ago. "Don't draw attention," the zora whispered. "Just keep an eye on that one."

 _They certainly get around quickly_ , the lairds-heir thought. Upon seeing his father, he motioned him to keep as quiet as possible. "We can't talk here," Cyrus whispered. Bruga nodded gravely and gestured for them to follow him to his quarters. As was common practice when discretion was needed, the laird placed stuffed stockings in the arrow slit window and around the door.

"What is it, lad?" he finally asked with concern, after he and Cyrus had exchanged the password with one another.

"Father, I have reason to believe that we didn't drive off the changeling. In fact, I'm certain that we have more than one here in Gleight now," Cyrus declared soberly.

Bruga's face paled at the news. "These are bad tidings son, and they ought not to be joked about. How can you prove this to me?" he replied.

"A guard just told us that he saw Shar conversing with an exact double of himself. No man would face his doppelganger in any kind of friendly manner unless he were one himself-" Cyrus began.

"Which guard was it?" the laird interrupted.

Cyrus was taken aback. "That hardly matters father-"

"It matters a great deal, lad," Bruga said, raising his voice slightly to be heard over his son's protest. "I need to know if this guard is one to be trusted. Some get drunk early in the day and create stories. You know that."

The lairds-heir was still a little surprised at his father's interruption, but answered the question. "It was Rhano," he replied simply. Bruga nodded in response. "He's a good man. He can be trusted."

The laird began to pace around the room. "Then it's true. We have several changelings in our midst," he murmured. "You and Salin continue to prepare for the battle ahead. I'll see to this," he ordered.

"Father, it might be best if you looked to the armies with Salin. I'm not as good-" Cyrus began, but was interrupted once again by the laird.

"My decision is final son," he said with a faint trace of annoyance. "Now go, it will be taken care of."

Cyrus was slightly surprised. His father had never treated him with annoyance before. "Y...yes, father," he eventually managed.

"There's a good lad," Bruga said with a smile, leading Cyrus and Salin out of the room. "It will be taken care of," he reassured before closing the door behind them. The lairds-heir shook his head as he and Salin headed out of the castle again.

"He wasn't any help. What a waste," Salin growled, wringing his polearm. "The least he could have done was helped us look for a few of them."

"That's not even the worst of it," Cyrus said quietly, almost in a whisper. His voice was very sober, which worried his friend.

"What is it?" Salin asked in an apprehensive tone.

"That wasn't my father. He never paced, he never treated me with annoyance, and with such grave news he would have acted on it immediately," the lairds-heir declared.

With this revelation, Salin's face drained of all color. "Cyrus… not only does that mean we're being overrun with the beasts, but our password means nothing!"

Cyrus nodded. "Much worse than we thought…" he trailed, looking hard at his friend.

Salin backed away slightly. "Oh no, Cyrus. I'm no changeling. And I don't think you are, either…" he defended. The zora's mind raced for a moment to find some way to find if Cyrus truly was the man who stood before him. "Why don't you ever let a drink out of your hand?" he asked abruptly.

In response, the lairds-heir's face soured and he slapped Salin across the face. "I told you to _never_ bring that up again," he snarled. "I keep to a strict moral code and I wouldn't have broken it if that _floozy_ hadn't put the bed-tilter tablets in my drink!"

Though his face stung, the zora nodded in relief. "Whew. Sorry I had to bring that up again, but there wasn't any other way I could have known…"

"There were better ways," Cyrus muttered darkly. "And what about you?" he asked a little more audibly. "What about that little serenade you made to the tree that one night?"

Salin flushed deeply at this reminder. He began to tremble in anger. "That's going too far, Cyrus. I've told you I don't know how many times that I felt like I needed the practice for the one woman I actually liked enough to…"  
"Alright, you're not the changeling," Cyrus dismissed. "But now we should make a new password between us."

"I agree," Salin answered simply. "We need some way to find out if someone's a changeling or not without bringing up painful memories."

"Let's start with what we know we can do for now. Let's go to my room and block out the sound so we aren't overheard," Cyrus said.

Salin nodded in reply. "At least changelings can't morph into inanimate objects. Can you imagine that? Every chair, every barrel…" the zora shuddered.

Cyrus bumped his friend. "Don't give them ideas," he growled quietly. He knew it was a joke, but with the gravity of the situation he wasn't going to discount that possibility.

Once the two were in Cyrus's room and they had done what they needed to keep the sound of their voices leaving the room, Salin fell heavily on the bed, his armor clattering as he did so. "I think it's safe to say that whatever forces we're working against know exactly what we're doing," the zora huffed. Cyrus nodded gravely in reply. "Yes, and more than just knowing our every preparation they'll be able to sabotage our efforts as well."

"Something I thought of:" Salin began, with hope in his voice. "The changelings can tell who is a changeling and who isn't, can't they?" he asked.

"I believe so… Why?" Cyrus responded.

"We can track down someone out here we know is a changeling and then we can follow him for a while to see if anything in the way he acts might show us who his compatriots are," the zora suggested.

The lairds-heir nodded in agreement. "Good idea, but we should still make our passphrase just in case we need to discern one another," he said.

"Yes, and we should probably have some subtle gesture to go with the passphrase so that if some changeling overhears us give it outside we still have a way to make sure they can't copy it completely," Salin concurred.

Within a few minutes, the zora and laird's-heir arranged a passphrase with a gesture that both could agree wouldn't be noticed except by those who were looking for it. "Now," Cyrus said with a grin. "Let's go track one of those devils."

It didn't take long for Cyrus and Salin to find two of the same person, although they could not tell which was the changeling. "Just act as if we're still about our business," Cyrus whispered as he watched the potential changelings near each other. If they passed one another they were both changelings. If they began to fight they would know one of them was the changeling, but they wouldn't know which one. Though it meant one more difficult enemy to weed out, the lairds-heir sighed in relief when the two identical highlanders passed each other.

"You're sure they're not twins right?" Salin joked. "I'll follow that one and you can follow the one that went toward the gate," he added beginning to move off. He was abruptly stopped when Cyrus grabbed his arm.

"Changelings are brutal. If he knows you're following him you'll have a nasty fight on your hands that you won't win. We go together," the highlander ordered. Salin nodded in understanding and began to follow the changeling.

Salin and the lairds-heir were beginning to feel frustration as they wandered about after the changeling and he never seemed to do anything other than what any of the other townsfolk would do. "This is ridiculous," the zora groaned. "He's being too careful."

Cyrus only grunted in reply. "Maybe there's something else we can do… Go behind these buildings and then go into the third alleyway that empties back out into the street. I'll stop him in front of it and when I get his back facing you, you'll drag him into the alley where we'll detain him and then see if we can get any good information out if him," Cyrus ordered. The zora acknowledged by immediately ducking behind the houses.

"Hail, Narhhas!" the lairds-heir greeted warmly to the supposed changeling.

The other highlander turned and bowed slightly. "Greetings, lairds-heir. What can I do for you?" he duly asked.

"I hear that you're good with a bow, is that right?" Cyrus asked, stepping to Narhhas's side so his back was to the alley.

"I… yes. What of it?" the assumed changeling replied, sounding puzzled.

Cyrus's expression brightened. "We need to train some more archers for the upcoming battle. Do you think that you can help us? So many have bruised their arms trying to teach themselves," the lairds-heir requested.

Narhhas shook his head in slight amusement. "Beginners' mistake," he said with a scoff. "Yes, I'd be glad to-augh!" he yelped as a zora jumped out of the alleyway and pulled him in. Cyrus drew his sword and followed.

"I believe I saw your twin earlier. Ugly fellow," Salin hissed in Narhhas's ear. Their captive struggled, but he didn't seem to put up more of a fight than would be expected from a normal highlander.

 _He's a smart one, not betraying himself with his changeling strength_ Cyrus thought. "I have reason to believe, Narhhas, that you are not who you appear to be, but a changeling," the lairds-heir accused.

"I'm not a changeling!" Narhhas protested. "Let me go! I am Narhhas Moblin-Hewer! A full-blooded Gleightman!"

"Do changelings bleed red, I wonder…?" Salin asked the captive threateningly, placing a hardened fin on the captive's neck. Cyrus gave him a look of surprise as if to say that was much darker than something he would have expected his friend to say.

"Oy! What's going on in there?" a voice boomed from the street. Cyrus turned to see who it was. "My own son stooped to holding up honest Gleightmen in alleyways?" added the laird, with great disappointment in his voice. "Methinks that zora friend of yours is a bad influence on you."

"Father, I believe this man to be, in actuality a changeling," Cyrus replied.

Bruga only shook his head. "I thought I told you that I'd handle the changelings, son," he said. "I'll have you let Narhhas go and you can go back to the troops," the laird ordered.

"Father, I swear to you that Narhhas is not who he says he is! Nobody would pass their own double on the street without fighting him unless they were both changelings!" the lairds-heir protested.

"Or if he knew of the fighting capabilities of a changeling and decided not to risk his neck," Narhhas chimed in with a snarl. "Let me go, fishman!" he added.

"And you call yourself a highlander, shirking a fight like that? You had dozens of other clansmen around you to help..." Salin began, but was interrupted by the rumbling, almost earthquake-like shout of the laird.

"Enough!" Bruga roared. "I told you, I'd handle it, son. Why could you not follow my order?"

"Since I knew you were a changeling yourself, _father,_ " Cyrus spat. "The true laird would have heard me out and he would not have treated the news lightly as you had! You left a chink in your armor!" the lairds-heir accused as he readied his sword and shield.

"You pull your sword on your own father?" the false laird said, with a good deal of hurt in his voice.

"What have you done to him?" came the simple, bitter reply from Cyrus. "I adjure you by Eulia to tell me!"

"And to invoke the name of the victory goddess to order me about as well?" the laird replied, still in a wounded tone. While he and Cyrus were going back and forth, Narhhas whispered urgently to the zora, "Let me go. I'm not a changeling. I didn't fight my double because I knew I'd be overpowered and I didn't know if there really would be any help for me, but if three of us can work together on the real changeling here: the laird, then we can take him!"

"That doesn't change the fact that any real highlander would have relished the opportunity to fight a battle like that one, and by the way, what about everyone around you? You could have asked them to help," the zora hissed in return. "You changelings are terrible liars."

"Just because I didn't fight him doesn't mean I am one!" Narhhas whispered in protest. "I'm just more careful than other highlanders!" Before Salin could give his rebuttal, Cyrus and Bruga began to fight each other. Cyrus was losing ground already. It was difficult for him to match the extreme strength and cunning of the monster.

"Trust me, zora!" Narhhas cried desperately. With a huff Salin threw him off and charged at the changeling with his polearm. He was surprised when his enemy grabbed the weapon and hurled it (with him still holding on) off to the side without any apparent effort. By this time, Cyrus had risen to his feet and took another swing at the changeling. WIth blinding speed, the enemy parried the blow with his own sword before he kicked Cyrus and sent him sprawling on his back again.

The lairds-heir groaned with the pain, but also because he saw that Salin had released the first suspect. _We're doomed_ , he thought gloomily. "Eulia… receive us," he plead to the goddess in the trilby tongue. Rather than divine intervention, however, a throwing dagger sailed over his head and planted itself in the changeling's shoulder, causing him to howl in pain. Following closely behind it was Narhhas, charging in valiantly with his war ax. The changeling laird brushed him away as he might have swatted away a moth, causing Narhhas to land in a bruised heap against the wall.

In the midst of the changeling's distraction, Cyrus seized his opportunity and hacked off one of the legs of the monster. The false laird howled in agony as he buckled under the pain. Salin rushed over and finished the changeling with a well-placed thrust to the heart.

Rising while cleaning off his sword Cyrus said, "Sorry about the misunderstanding, Narhhas. Are you alright?" to the other highlander.

Narhhas groaned as he sat up. "A few bruises, lairds-heir, but that's all. Actually, it's probably a good thing you detained me or you never would have gotten the laird's attention," the highlander winced.

Salin came forward to help the battered man stand. "Now what?" the zora asked. "If they see the corpse things will look very bad for us. Everyone else still thinks that he's the laird. How can we prove he wasn't?"

In response to the question, Cyrus dragged the body into the alleyway. Thankfully nobody else was on that street at the time to see them. "Let's see if he has anything incriminating," the lairds-heir mumbled. While he searched, however, the body disappeared in a vile puff of black smoke that shortly follows the death of evil things in hyrule.

"That takes care of the body, then," Salin said with a slight smirk.

"You probably still want to wipe the blood off," Narhhas pointed out as he handed over a rag. Salin gratefully took it and began to clean himself off.

"That doesn't change the fact that the laird will be gone," Cyrus interrupted. "People will get edgy once they notice he's missing."

Narhhas seemed deep in thought. "The only real possibility I can see is that the real laird was the one the horsemen ran out of town earlier. We can only hope they didn't kill him…" he said gravely.

"Where would changelings hide their prisoners?" Salin cut in.

Cyrus stretched out a little. "The only place on hand here that could really be used for that purpose are the keep dungeons, but I don't know what we could learn going down there," the lairds-heir answered, shaking his head.

"It's worth a try," Narhhas said with a shrug. "There is the possibility that some have been imprisoned under the false pretense of being a changeling by those who actually are." Cyrus conceded and the three began to walk towards the keep.

"How fast can a changeling change his shape?" Salin whispered when he thought he saw doubles.

The laird's-heir and Narhhas both shrugged. "I don't know," Cyrus admitted. "Most of the time when people talk about changelings they only speak of them having changed into one form. On top of that we don't even know what they look like when they aren't doubling someone."

"That doesn't help," Salin replied coolly. "We need some kind of an advantage over these devils! We don't even know how many we could have here."

"At least four for certain," Narhhas pointed out. "I've been trying to keep track of them ever since I've heard rumors of them being about. I don't know how many more we have but… I have my suspicions that there are many more."

Cyrus paled at this news. "It's hard enough tracking down and killing one of them, and you mean to tell me we have _at least_ four of them, Narhhas?" the lairds-heir groaned. The other highlander nodded gravely. "This is just getting better and better," Cyrus growled testily.

"How does the highlander line of authority work?" Salin cut in. "Because unless your mother becomes the next authority here, you're the head of the Gleight clan for now," the zora pointed out. Cyrus stopped and was silent for a moment. "You are the next in line, aren't you?" Salin asked with a wry grin.

"Actually, he's not…" Narhhas explained briefly before Cyrus interrupted.

 **"** **The demons will be after the rest of my family!" the lairds-heir hissed, now breaking into a run toward the keep.**


	12. Chapter 12

Finally, after what felt like much too long to Ruto, Arah, Bruga, and the remaining guards reached the cliff edge that marked the end of the desert. Below them was the land of Hyrule. All of those carrying Ruto in the water-filled casket sighed in relief as they dropped the coffin down. Ruto was more than happy to vacate it so as not to be a burden for the others any longer.

"It's beautiful," Arah commented when she saw the crystal blue lake below. The shoreline was lined with verdant grasses and fertile trees. A handful of small islands spotted the placid lake and they too were capped with green. The freshness of the lake air reached them all the way up on the cliff face. "And I'm not only saying that because we've been hiking through parched sands, either," she added with a smile.

The princess returned the expression. "My people were not meant for the desert. This," Ruto said with a sweeping gesture over the lake. "Is where we are meant to be. I would imagine my coming back here after going through the desert would be a similar feeling you would get if you had been in the Lost Woods for a few days before going back to the highlands."

"Or just after being through the desert," Bruga cut in. "Nobody was meant for that accursed place except for the gerudos. There will be a time to admire this sight again, but we must be on to see your king, lass," he importuned to Ruto. The highlander guards moaned when they assumed they had to take the casket again.

The princess's heart was pained to see them have to haul such a heavy load again. "Leave it," she ordered with compassion in her voice.

Bruga shook his head. "The gerudos may find it and track us, lass. We can't take that risk," he countered.

"We could simply bury it. Digging a large enough hole in this sand shouldn't be too difficult," Arah suggested.

"Och! I've had enough of this blasted box!" moaned one of the guards irritably, kicking the coffin. The blow caused the side to crack open and spill out all of the water. He turned a bright red color and fell to his knees with his face to the ground. "Forgive me, Lorelei! I didn't mean to break your vessel!" he groveled.

Ruto approached and offered a hand to help up the guard. Stunned, he accepted it. "I think I am just as tired of it as you are, my good sir. Since it is supposed to rain for us on the way back, as the Wanderer said, I no longer have need of it. It would really all be the same to me if we buried it here or if we hurled it over the edge and let it tumble to pieces before it hit the lake," the princess said dismissively.

When some of the highlander guards heard her mention throwing the casket over the edge, they took heart and the more impulsive members of the group immediately rushed over. " _Stand down!_ " Bruga bellowed in order. The warriors grumbled in disappointment at the stern edict from their chieftain.

Ruto on the other hand, cracked a grin. "Let them, Father-in-law. We need to dispose of it anyway now that it's damaged and burying it in the sand would be more work than it's worth," she stated. The warriors looked hopefully to the laird who, after a moment of trying to reconcile within himself this seemingly dainty princess suggesting something so brash, he nodded in consent.

The warriors cheered and picked up the casket again and hurled it down the cliff face. Their cheers grew louder as the casket broke into pieces as it bashed itself against several rocks on the cliff as it tumbled down to oblivion. By the time it reached the water, it was no more than a handful of splinters and small planks. The skins that were lining the casket never resurfaced after being saturated with water.

"Alright, celebration's over, lads. Now we need to get down," Bruga commanded gruffly. The warriors were more willing to obey orders now that they had done something to lift their spirits.

Arah looked up and down the cliff face from where they were standing. "How _do_ we get down?" she asked.

Ruto looked along the edge as well. "Cyrus told me that a trail starts at a dead tree up here… Ah! Over there!" she called, pointing to a large dead oak tree on the edge of the cliff. All of the travelling companions trotted over. Sure enough, near the great dead tree was a winding switchback path that led down to the lake. Lamentably for the group, however, a darknut was stationed on one of the flatter areas of the path. From where he stood those coming down the path would not have the advantage of the high ground yet he would against any coming up.

With determination on their faces, each of the highlanders drew their weapons and was about the descend the cliff. The darknut drew his own massive sword and bashed it against his shield several times in challenge before dropping into combat stance. "Hold!" Ruto ordered.

Even the firm command wasn't enough to deter a few of the more rash members of the group. Three highlanders began to descend to face the dark warrior. "Heed the order!" Bruga rumbled authoritatively, but he was ignored as well.

"For Gleight!" the three highlanders cried in tandem as they rushed toward the darknut. The massive sword swung with blinding speed, slicing the least lucky among them in half. The other two ducked in time to avoid the blow. Their highlander battle instinct kicked in when their comrade was slain. One lunged toward the unarmored joint in the leg armor while the other tried to scoot in between the sliver of space between the large enemy and the cliff face. Acting with the speed earned by the demonic magics that enhanced him, the darknut kicked away the first highlander, sending him sprawling backwards in a cloud of dust. He performed a shield bash against the other which threw him to the same area.

All those standing behind hoped that the two impulsive warriors wouldn't go to engage again, but the rage they carried over the death of the third warrior overcame them and the sprung into battle again. Similar to their last offensive, they avoided the blow from the deadly sword and were thrown or knocked back.

"We need to help them somehow!" Ruto plead. Her requestive tone was unneeded however, as the rest had their weapons out and were shifting impatiently as if they were waiting for her personal order to engage the enemy. "What can we do?" she asked desperately of the others. A cry of agony split the air, interrupting Ruto's calculating thoughts. Looking down, the princess's stomach churned when she saw that one of the highlanders just had his shield arm lopped off. His companion was just able to deflect the finishing attack with his own sword before it was too late. With amazing highlander resilience, the wounded highlander stood up, blade in hand and cursed and spat at the darknut in Trilby.

"They're weak from behind," Bruga pointed out.

"But how do we get behind it?" Arah asked, twirling her short sword and the broadsword she had recovered earlier. The other highlanders voiced their own thoughts of the difficulty of such a task.

Looking down the cliff edge, the agile princess saw how she could make it down. "I can get down there behind it," the princess offered. "But I'm not sure if my fins will damage it," she continued with hesitation.

"My shortsword!" Arah piped, proffering the blade to the princess. Ruto had some training in the use of swords, though hardly the skill required to face a darknut.

"All you need to do, lass, is cut the straps holding his armor," Bruga instructed. Ruto nodded and was about to vault down the cliff face when Bruga grabbed her firmly with his muscular hand. "The only reason I'm condoning this is because you're the only one here that can make it down there," he said. "Be careful," he added with fatherly concern. Ruto was surprised that this tone came even though he had only known her for a few days. "If you fall this will all be for naught," the laird added in further warning before he finally let the princess go.

Nodding again, Ruto leapt off the edge. She slid down the steeply angled cliff face. With expert precision the princess grabbed a rock to angle herself in the right direction. Even with her large flipper-like feet she maneuvered very well among the jagged stones jutting out here and there and landed almost silently behind the darknut. On the way down she saw that another of the two remaining highlanders had been slain. The only one still standing was the one with no arm. He had grown pale from the loss of blood. Soon he would lose consciousness and it would mean his doom.

At the same time as she slashed off the darknut's breastplate, she called shrilly to those above her for assistance. Before her request was completely out of her throat, the enemy whipped around to face her. He was much more agile now that he was relieved of his cumbersome chestplate. With this giant warrior before her, Ruto felt nearly defenseless armed with only her fins, agility, and shortsword. Growling dolefully, the darknut began to swing wildly at Ruto. His expertise could be seen in how he wielded the weapon; several times he almost hit her. Thanks to the princess's lithe frame, however, she was always able to avoid the butchering slashes.

To the zora woman's relief, two highlanders eager for combat came skittering down the mountain as fast as they could on the loose dust of the trail. Hearing the princess's aid coming behind him, the darknut whirled around in a lethal cyclone of blade and shield. Even while spinning he had great control, angling his sword or shield toward whoever was nearest. The princess and one of the warriors hopped out of reach, but the shield struck a different highlander to send him into the cliff wall, knocking him senseless. The one with the missing arm had since fainted with blood loss.

The princess began to lose some hope when she saw that she wouldn't be able to move fast enough to make an effective strike. She jerked back in surprise when she saw the black-armored helmet fly loose from the darknut's head. The highlander had thrown one of the swords of his fallen companions at the darknut's head to knock the helmet off. The momentary shock gave Ruto the time she needed to make several rapid strikes with her small blade that removed the last of the darknut's heavy plate armor.

Howling in rage, the darknut hurled his massive sword at Ruto. The princess ducked just in time to avoid the projectile. She risked a quick glance to see that the sword buried itself in the stones behind her. She only barely avoided the giant's more nimble longsword he had just drawn. Without his heavy armor, the darknut moved at impossible speeds. Any blow attempted by the only standing highlander or Ruto was quickly parried. The princess even tried to throw sand in the demon knight's eyes, but to no avail.

Tracking his movements carefully, Ruto saw an opportunity. She feinted with her blade the instant the darknut was turned to face her. While he tried to parry the blow that never came, he spun to face the one coming from behind. As his sword moved through the air to make the counter, the princess drove her sword into the left half of the darknut's back. The triumphant cry of the highlander and the agonized howl of the darknut made a strange combination when the sounds mingled with one another.

Ruto waited until the knight's remains exploded in a dark cloud before she moved back up the trail to rejoin the rest of the company. When they saw her emerge over the ledge, they broke into cheering, including the normally subdued laird. "You fight like a true highlander, lass!" he congratulated with pride. "I am glad to call you my daughter-in-law!" The princess started when she was wrapped in a great bear-hug from the laird.

Breathing deeply to recover her strength after she was released, the princess returned the shortsword to Arah. "Thank you for letting me use it. I know from Cyrus how much a highlander's sword means to them. You greatly honor me," she said graciously. Arah handled the blade almost reverently as she inspected it before sheathing it again. "You did well, Ruto. I don't regret letting you use my blade," the maiden said with a slight bow.

A highlander that nobody had noticed leave came up the trail bearing the darknut's sword; the only thing that was left of the knight. "It is rightfully yours, Lorelei," he proclaimed solemnly, laying the blade at the princess's feet.

She didn't want to offend by refusing the sword, but she knew that it was a much heavier sword than she could or ever even want to wield. "I thank you," she began, hefting its massive weight. She paused a moment to think of what to say. "I am unsure if I could ever even carry this sword into battle, but it would make a good trophy, no?" she said quietly, almost without confidence. In reality she had no intention of decorating her home with it as she thought it would make a rather grisly trophy. Inwardly she sighed in relief as murmurs of approval passed between the red-haired hylians around her.

Ruto was quickly impressed by how large the blade was now that she had the chance to examine it. It was made of the finest steel and the blade was as long as she was tall. _How will I carry this?_ she thought.

Noticing the princess struggle with the sword, Bruga compassionately took the blade and shouldered it. "With your permission, Ruto, I'll take your trophy for you until we return to Gleight," the large man offered. The princess gave him leave almost before he could finish his sentence.

All the way down the switchback trail to the lake, the highlanders were congratulating Ruto on her success. "Killing a darknut is no small thing, Lorelei. You show impressive skill," one lauded.

"Will you teach me how use a sword as you do?" another asked.

Throughout the midst of all of her praise, she frequently tried to remind the entourage that it was impossible for her to do as she did without the other warriors' help. They all seemed to ignore this fact, however and they continued to smother her. Ruto felt very uncomfortable. She was used to having several people all around at once vying for her attention and trying to speak with her, but not for having shed the blood of some creature. So much talk of killing something was distasteful to her.

Once they had reached the bottom of the cliff and Lake Hylia, Ruto immediately dove into the water. Primarily because she hadn't immersed herself in such cool, deep water for several days, but also because she was growing tired of all of the discussion of warfare among the highlanders. With great ecstasy she darted to and fro beneath the surface. Pumping her legs, fins, and head's fishtail with all of her might, she blasted high out of the water, laughing with the thrill of being back home again, even if it would only be for a short time.

Each of the highlanders were enjoying themselves as well. Many of them sloughed their armor and boots and began to wade and swim in the lake. Others bowed low to drink deeply of crisp, clean water they hadn't seen in days and refill their canteens.

Ruto launched out of the water once again and landed with a flip on the shore that the highlanders were gathered near. "My homeland!" she announced with a broad smile and great pride.

"And your people?" Arah asked, gesturing to a group of curious zoras that were a short distance away.

Once they noticed Ruto they hurried over as fast as they could carry themselves. They tumbled right onto the shore into bows which they promptly rose from. "Princess! Are you alright? We've been so worried! The king has been at his wits end for you!" one of the zoras panted. "Come back to Zora's Domain, princess!" he plead further.

"You didn't even need to ask," she replied with a grin. "But do we have a way up for land-walkers?" she asked. "These are my friends that helped me arrive back here. They are from Cyrus's clan. We best hurry. There are wounded among them," she implored, gesturing to the one with the severed arm and others that had taken wounds during the fighting with the gerudos.

The other zoras looked over the highlanders with blank expressions. After looking at each other for a moment one of them spoke. "Of course, princess!" he said warmly with a tone that Ruto hoped was not condescension. "We'd be happy to accommodate them!" he added before leading the way toward the waterfall that would lead them to Zora's Domain.

"Not an especially welcoming lot, are they? I never would have guessed from-" Arah began.

"They should be much more welcoming," Ruto interrupted. "I don't know what's going on."

"We'll throw the ropes down for you," the lead zora instructed once they had reached the waterfall. It had taken some swimming on the company's part to make it there. "I'll help you," Ruto offered, swimming up the waterfall with her people. Impressed murmurs floated above the highlander guard as they watched the swimming might of the zoras.

When she was alone with the other four zoras she asked them "What is the meaning of this behavior? I would expect you to be more welcoming to my benefactors," the princess said in gentle rebuke to the others. They hesitated before they answered her. Eventually they only said, "the king was worried for you." Any further questioning from the princess was unanswered.

It did not take long for all of the highlanders to scale the cliff face with the aid of the ropes. Even Bruga with the darknut's massive sword mounted the climb fairly easily. "There aren't any more falls or cataracts on the way up," Ruto announced. "It should be a good walk from here to Zora's Domain. We'll get there before…" she paused and looked briefly at the sky. "Before nightfall. We move!" she ordered enthusiastically.

All along the journey the other zoras seemed to distance themselves from the highlanders. They would only reply with one word answers when spoken to and they never started any conversations with them. The behavior of her citizens made Ruto uneasy. The zoras were ordinarily quite welcoming of outsiders, and she assumed that these highlanders would be even celebrated for helping to bring her home.

Soon the princess had enough. "I adjure you by Jabun to tell me the reason for your conduct!" the flustered Ruto commanded the zoras. "I have never seen guests treated so poorly! Cordial you might be, but it's no comparison to how we usually receive visitors, especially friends of royalty!" she said hotly.

"It has been a difficult time with you gone," was all any of the other zoras would say.

"You will learn more detail once we get to Zora's Domain," another said to terminate the discussion.

A mile or so further into the journey, Ruto found that the other zoras began to attempt to stand between herself and the highlanders. Every time she found herself being pushed away she struggled to be back with the others. She began to avoid the other zoras. Even so, they kept trying to distance her from the highlanders.

Finally, once the path became paved and the pennant of the zoran people, a blue field with a golden outline of the Zora's Sapphire, became visible, Ruto's patience failed her entirely. " _What is the meaning of this?!"_ she shrieked to the other zoras. As soon as she said this, the ordered sound of coral armor hitting itself and the running of flippered zora feet filled the canyon of the Zora's River. Dozens of zoran soldiers appeared, bearing mixed armaments and wearing full suits of armor, thanks to Salin and Cyrus's reforms. The promptly surrounded the princess and the highlanders, forcibly removing the weapons from the latter amidst heated protest. Ruto was thankful that the normally fiery-tempered Gleightmen were at least somewhat submissive though obscenities still rang out from among them.

A zoran soldier armed with a coral falchion and shield stepped forward. His fins were a good deal longer than other zoras'. His coloring was different as well. He was a deep blue-green all over, not just on on his arms and legs and forehead like most zoras. "Are you alright, milady?" he asked, concern radiating in his voice. "We've been so worried, princess! The king has-dah!" he yelped. Ruto had just grabbed one of his head fins and pulled his face in close to hers.

"What in the name of all the gods are you _doing_ , Sir Tizrah?!" she demanded icily. "These are highlanders of the Gleight clan, _Prince Cyrus's clan_ ," she indicated, grinding her teeth into the last three words before releasing the other's head fin. "They were my benefactors in helping me arrive back here safely. Would you detain those that deserve celebration? Answer me!" she demanded. In the course of her request her emotions smoothed and she began to speak in her royal's voice, but danger still could be felt in her words.

Tizrah was silent for a moment. "You are under delusion, milady. You must see the king. A counselor is with him-" he began.

The princess was still speaking in her near emotionless royal's tone. "I am under no delusion, captain. It seems to me that some madness has gripped my people, however. What is happening here?" she interrupted. Rather than answer her, Captain Tirzah grabbed the princess's arm to forcibly drag her to the throne room, followed by the other guards with the still protesting highlanders.

"Stop this at once!" Ruto bellowed in order, only to be unheeded. She tilted her weight to one side to throw the escort off, but before she completely executed the maneuver she realized that it would be a grave mistake.

"Milady?" Tirzah asked with concern. Ruto held up a restraining hand to let the other know she was fine.

"I tripped," she tersely muttered.

Even while under arrest, the highlanders could not help but admire the zora city. Canals carrying the life-bringing water were etched into the city all around through the streets. Many zoras were swimming in these canals, a few pulling rafts loaded with some cargo or another. A few others walked on the streets. The buildings seemed to be made out of a cement and had coral around their doors and windows. Reflections of light off the waves in the canals danced all around the walls. The tranquil sound of running water was ubiquitous here, though the princess's racing heart paid the tranquility of her city no heed.

As they made their way through the city, zoras peered at them, murmuring. Ruto would have almost expected cheering if their lost princess returned safely to them, but instead she heard concern echoing throughout the masses. She was shocked to see that the highlanders were being led away to the dungeons. Bruga faced forward with his typical stoicism while Arah turned to look at the princess with an imperiled look in her eyes. The princess threw back a look of shock and continued to the throne room prompted with a tug from her guard.

The princess did not expect to see what she saw when she entered the throne room with her remaining guards. Even when she had run away in the past her father was seated at his throne with his back erect, looking proud and noble as he always did while still maintaining a compassionate and just glint in his eyes. Right now he was leaned to one side, his chin resting on his fist. His foot was tapping and a look of immense worry was etched on his face.

"The Princess Ruto!" Tizrah announced. King Ralis nearly leaped out of his throne with the announcement and ran full speed for his daughter. He embraced her with fatherly warmth and tears in his eyes. Ruto returned the embrace but without as much emotion due to the strange reception.

"I've missed you so," the king sobbed.

"I, too, father," Ruto whispered, trying unsuccessfully to extricate herself.

"We thought you had come to great harm, Ruto," the king began in reprimand. "We found you, Cyrus, and Salin all had disappeared in one day with no notification. I knew immediately what had happened, those curs gave back into their mercenary ways and took you away for ransom somewhere. I am overjoyed that you escaped!"

Ruto managed to push away with disgust fueling her strength. "That's not what happened at all!" she protested vehemently.

Before she could offer a proper explanation the king gasped in horror, "You were so involved with Cyrus you didn't even realize he had kidnapped you!"

The princess was astonished beyond measure with her father's conduct. "What madness has gripped you?!" she demanded. With anyone else she would have buried her emotions in her royal's tone, but in this situation with her father, her feelings ran freely. "Delirium is in your eyes, father," she said, her voice smoothing slightly.

"Counselor!" the king hailed, ignoring the princess. A zora stepped out of the shadows near the throne. He was a deep red in color with similarly colored eyes. A corner of his mouth was perpetually upturned, causing him to radiate a constant air of arrogant superiority.

"Kedor!" Ruto gasped.

"We've been dying of worry for you, princess," the red zora said in a very smooth voice. It was a voice that quickly gathered trust from those around him, even though it seemed malicious in a way. He approached and grasped her hand and made to kiss it. She jerked away and made a motion to backhand slap the counselor. She never liked this particular noble and seeing him so close to her father when he was in this condition did nothing to aid her opinion of him. Before her blow landed, he gripped her wrist.

"Unladylike, princess," he gently rebuked with his silky voice. "Have your tutors not taught you that to strike is below royalty such as yourself?"

"Yes," she hissed icily, wrenching her arm free. "As well as they also taught me not to trust eels like you!" Inwardly she chastised herself for letting so much of her emotions show to this man. Doing so would give him power that she did not want him to have.

"Princess, you have been through a great deal in these last few days," Kedor said smoothly, caressing her jaw. She clenched her teeth and fixed burning eyes on this other zora when she jerked her head away. Whether she was right or not she blamed this man for the way her father was now. "Come, have a seat in my office. We will speak of what truly happened," he invited, gesturing toward the hall.

"You have no idea what happened, and you never had a place in this palace!" the princess snarled. Taking a handful of deep breaths, she resumed her composure and spoke in her royal's tone. She redoubled her efforts to disguise or hide any emotions she had. "Since when did you gain an office here?" she questioned levelly.

"Soon after you left, my dear," the red zora answered simply. "The king finally recognized the value my services when I had to take your position."

The princess had to restrain herself from laughing. She knew what he meant, but she easily interpreted his sentence to say that he had become the princess. "A position never meant for you. There are many others between myself and you for the title of next-in-line," Ruto said dismissively. She was keeping her facade up very well now.

"Indeed, my dear," Kedor acknowledged with his silky voice. "But… they could see that I would be a greater asset were I closer to the king," he explained, placing his hands on Ruto's shoulders.

His touch made her cringe. As she slid backwards her jewelry jingled. "Do not touch me," she ordered. Rather than an edict, her tone made it sound more like a warning.

"Now, Ruto," King Ralis said in reprimand. The princess was so focused on Kedor she almost forgot that anyone else was there. "That is no way to treat our counselor. He only wished to-"

"Usurp the throne!" the princess interrupted with all the ice and venom that were possible. "I dismiss you from your service!" Ruto announced boldly. She spoke over her father who began to protest. "Given the distress my father is under he cannot make a proper ruling decision until he has recovered. Depart, Kedor Dalua. You have place no longer in Zora's Domain."

Kedor only laughed. It was a very sweet sounding laugh that could bring joy to the heart, if only one couldn't feel a strange foreboding darkness behind it. "My dear, that is an order I cannot, indeed should not, obey," he dismissed. He then leaned in close and whispered in her ear. She tried to back away but he held her fast. "Both you and the king are under a great deal of stress, I see." Though his voice was barely above a whisper it was loud enough for all present to hear. "Your kidnappers are safely locked away and you are secure now in Zora's Domain. Until you and your father are fit to rule again, I shall shoulder the burden," he said.

"You monster! Eel! Usurper!" the princess accused. "The only reason my father is in this state is because of you, I'm sure!" she railed. The guards were now trying to subdue her. She struggled with all her might, yet she would not employ her fins against her own people. Soon they had her held fast such that she could no longer offer any resistance.

"Nonsense, beloved daughter," the king said gently. "Lord Dalua has been a great help. His counsel was very beneficial. I'll have him speak with you a little later. He can calm your nerves."

"No!" the Princess yowled. "Do not let this hagfish near me!" she protested. Her guards were carrying her off to her room at the top of the palace now. "Don't tell me all of you have been duped by this evil man!" she screeched to her guards. "He wishes the throne for himself! River zoras would be more fit to rule than he would! _Put me down!_ " she ordered without avail.

Once they had arrived at her room, the guards tossed her on her bed. Before she could reach the door, they had shut and locked it behind themselves. While she struggled with the latch she heard, "Apologies for the rough handling, milady!" from the other side.

Sighing in exasperated resignation, Ruto set her back on the door and sank down to a sitting position. Once she had calmed herself she looked around her room. In her absence it had been changed.

She noticed that all signs of Cyrus had been erased in the room. The dresser had been replaced by her old tall jewel chest with a mirror mounted on it. The pictographs of her and Cyrus were gone, blank spaces on the walls in their places. She arose to examine her washroom. As expected, Cyrus's clothing racks were absent as well as his boot cleaner. Even the crest above the bed used to represent her union with Cyrus-the proud dragon of Gleight protectively encircling the Zora's Sapphire-was gone. What replaced it, however caused Ruto to set her jaw and harden her fins in fury. Rather than the symbol of the Zora's Sapphire that had been there previous to her marriage, the crest on her headboard was now that of the crab-Kedor Dalua's crest.

As she was fuming and examining the other changes made to her residence, a spark of hope ignited in her chest. She had become very adept at escaping from the palace through her room over the course of her life, she could do so now. That spark was snuffed, however, when she saw many guards stationed where she normally landed on the way down as well as shards of broken glass and nails sticking up out of her handholds.

Huffing in exasperation as she left, she noticed a note had been left on her jewel case. It did not appear to be in handwriting she recognized. "Princess Ruto, this note was left for you to find as soon as you returned home. It explains the reasoning behind the changes you find here," it began. "Your crest of union with the Gleightman barbarian has been replaced with that of Lord Dalua's, to honor him for his service to the king and for exposing your former husband and Salin Bluescale as the wicked men that they were. We have since added more guards below your balcony as well as broken glass on certain handholds for your own protection, princess. A tenacious enough assassin could have easily made it to your room and ended your life before we had made these changes. Both the king and Lord Dalua would be most distraught if this were to happen.

"We welcome you back to Zora's Domain. We hope that you will find the reforms proposed by Lord Dalua to be the great boon that the rest of the zoras have. Your respectful servant, Tirzah Kaddosh," the note concluded.

 _So Tirzah is in on this takeover as well,_ Ruto thought darkly. She brooded for some time over this letter. Doubts and fears arose in her heart. Have all of the zoras truly been taken in by the treacherous Kedor?

Angrily she crumpled the note and threw it into a wastebasket beside her jewel case. Taking a breath, she examined the pendant that Cyrus had given her when they had been married in Zora's Domain. Though the jeweler had been hurried to create it, it was still a very fine piece. The highlander had felt it appropriate that as he wore the symbol of the zoras-the Zora's Sapphire-his wife should wear the symbol of his clan. The pendant was a proud silver dragon with fine sapphire eyes. The face of the dragon was not the fearsome snarl that most dragon artwork bore, but it was a calm look of vigilance, devotion, and protection to represent Cyrus's feelings for her.

The princess gripped the pendant tightly and allowed its edges to dig into her flesh. _Though I fear that Kedor will employ some dark craft to warp my mind as he has the others, nothing shall separate us!_ she proclaimed steadfastly to Cyrus in her mind.

Ruto started and let the pendant fall back on her chest when there was a knock at the door. Before she could give her permission for entrance, two guards entered with Kedor, who was bearing a warm smile. "My dear, Ruto," he greeted. The princess looked at him with a blank expression, hiding her emotions, though she could not bury the disgust that shone in her deep black eyes.

"I request that you do not address me as such. You hold no place in my heart, and I am sure I hold none in yours," she said levelly.

Kedor laughed his crisp laugh as he approached her. He attempted to clasp her hand in both of his. She jerked away. "Do not touch me. You have no permission to do so," the princess ordered.

The red zora's expression changed to a condescending smile. Such an expression made her burn angrily. "I do not need it, princess. A caring touch can greatly ease the pain in one's heart. That is something I've learned as a counselor," he explained in a hypnotic voice.

Ruto walked away from where he was and kept her back to him. "A touch from one that evokes feelings of nothing more than revulsion would have the opposite effect. That is something I have learned from having a poison-tongue usurper in my chamber," she countered. Inwardly she berated herself for the immaturity she must have put off with her imitation. "You are dismissed, Kedor. I wish you as good a day as I can," she concluded.

"Ruto…" Kedor said gently. The princess could hear him approach.

She felt his webbed hands on her shoulders. His touch made her spine shiver and her scales stand on end. She darted away and faced him. "I said good day, Kedor. You are no longer welcome in my quarters," Ruto dismissed coolly.

"I may go where I please, so long as it is to aid the throne," Kedor rebuked with his silky voice. "As your father decreed," he concluded softly.

"You have the tongue of the serpent and the heart of Ganondorf," Ruto huffed, though still emotionlessly. "I refuse your counsel for I do not need it. Neither did I ask for it. Depart," she repeated the order.

"If you would allow me but to speak with you, to soothe your troubled heart, milady," Kedor pressed.

"Guards, remove him!" Ruto ordered hotly. She was dismayed that they did not move from where they stood. "Remember that it is the Zora family that still rules this land, _not_ the Daluas!" she pointed out impatiently. Still the guards did nothing. Suddenly, the princess felt very defenseless.

Kedor's expression resumed its normal arrogant smirk. "They will not obey unstable monarchs, princess. They have learned to serve righteousness, not people," he said, his voice again condescending.

"Then as a decent zora," Ruto began, approaching Kedor, her eyes narrow. "I suggest you honor the wish of someone who feels like she is being harassed. You are making me uncomfortable and quite frankly very angry because I see you as the malefactor that has put my father in his current state. By the power vested upon me by Jabun Himself I order you to release the highlanders from prison and to depart from Zora's Domain. You are to be stripped of your title and you shall have no more place among your people," she ordered dangerously. Though the means to enforce it did not currently exist with her, the edict was still binding by zoran law. When she could enforce it, it would be without delay.

Kedor again laughed his sweetened laugh and gave a sign to the guards to hold the princess fast. "Princess, your mind is gravely troubled. Your insistence that those vile barbarians below us were your friends is proof of that," he dismissed. Ruto attempted to struggle against the guards, but they held her too securely. "Now," the red zora began in a hypnotic voice. "Listen to me carefully. A great deal of stress has been heaped upon you in recent days…"

Ruto felt the strange sensation of her mind being pulled somewhere. She found herself standing in an empty black void, beginning to believe his words. _No! What is this devilry!?_ the sound parts of her mind screamed. She focused on the pain still in her hand from when she had pressed Cyrus's pendant there. Kedor's silky voice pierced through the protests. "That is what happened isn't it, princess? It is what you've told me," he said.

 _By Eulia, you haven't!_ another voice in her mind growled. It wasn't her own voice, but Cyrus's. Her thoughts rose and fell rapidly in her mind as bubbles rise and fall in a boiling pot.

"Tell me, princess. What happened?" Kedor asked once again, forcing all of the thoughts back down with its caring and hypnotic tone. Caring… she needed someone caring… He was someone caring….

 _No!_ her mentality shrieked once again. The defiant voice was more faded than it had been before. _Think of Cyrus! Think of all of those in Gleight! Think of Hyrule! All will be doomed if you do not fulfill your task!_ her inward thoughts howled.

 _He cares about me… about Hyrule…_ she argued back.

 _Listen to reason, Ruto!_ The voice cired. It sounded like it was spending all of its strength now just to be heard.

 _He cares…_ she repeated. She could no longer hear Kedor's voice, just those in her head now. His strange techniques seemed to bring to surface the residual memories of certain people in her mind and give them life, only for him to snuff them out.

 _Nooo! Bonnie!_ Cyrus's voice roared. _Da'aiigh!_ it shrieked, then died into nothingness.

 _Princess, I came when I could! My blood flows for… No!_ Salin's now. Kedor had just ended it.

Her own thoughts still were there. _Don't… let… him win…_ it pleaded weakly. It sounded as if the last dregs of this voice's life were ending.

 ** _He cares for me…_** **was her last thought before she surfaced again. Kedor was standing before her, smiling in satisfaction. She warmly and lovingly embraced him. "Thank you… for being there for me," she said, a slight tear in her eye. "I feel so much better now," she added breathlessly. Kedor smiled triumphantly and kissed the princess on the forehead.**


	13. Chapter 13

"There's the _bueloch_ now!" a highlander guard bellowed as Cyrus, Salin, and Narhhas entered the residential area of the keep.

" _What_ did you call me?" Cyrus growled viciously through his teeth. Calling someone a _bueloch_ in the Trilby Highlands is one of the gravest insults possible.

Immediately guards were surrounding the three men. Narhhas had to force Salin's polearm to the ground to keep him from doing something regrettable. "I never thought you as the ambitious sort, Cyrus," a highlander officer said in a wounded voice. "And even in my darkest nightmares did I ever think you would assassinate the laird. Especially not after…"

"I beg your pardon?" the lairds-heir asked, astonished. "The laird that's been in town was a changeling. He died in smoke as all of the other vile things of this world do. Search for yourself," Cyrus explained quickly.

"A likely story," snorted the officer in derision.

Calmly, Narhhas explained, "He speaks the truth, Rolf. I saw it with my own eyes."

"You're in on this as well, Moblin-Hewer?" the officer queried, whipping to face Narhhas. His beard tossed as he did so. "How many more go against the laird? You, your zora, your mother and sister, and now Narhhas," he said while he shook his head.

"Conspiracy!" Salin barked. "Do you really think that all of the laird's family would commit such an atrocity to begin with, much less carry it out so stupidly if this even _were_ an assassination?"

"Just what connection have you brewed up between this and my mother and sister? Let me go!" Cyrus demanded. The guards now forced the weapons from the three men and dragged them to the dungeons, amid protests from all three for the whole trip.

As they shoved Cyrus into his cell, he stood his ground for a moment, leering hard at the officer that was escorting him. "I can easily see how you could have been duped with all of these changelings about," Cyrus said to the officer just as he slammed the cell door shut.

"Ha! The changeling has been taken care of!" the guard shot back. "You have no defence!" he said as he walked off.

Cyrus heaved an irritated sigh. Across the wall from him he saw his sword hanging tantalizingly from a hook. In highlander prisons, the accuseds' weapons are hung in front of their cells. While it may have been bad practice in case of a jail break, a highlander's weapons were his life, and taking them out of his sight was considered a punishment that not even prisoners going to execution were ever thought worthy of.

"Now what?" Salin huffed when the guards had left.

"Come back here!" Cyrus snarled after the guards. "Did I say there was only _one_ changeling? Haven't you seen how many doubles we have in Gleight? Or are you one yourself?!" he roared after the guards. For some time the lairds-heir was cursing and shouting at the prison guards while rattling his bars.

"So it begins," the zora grumbled as he situated himself on the bench and pulled his fins over his ears.

"Lairds-heir, save your breath," Narhhas suggested calmly. "All of your howling won't help anything."

"It won't do you any good to say anything," Salin said. "He is by no means a graceful prisoner. He has a knack for making those imprisoning him feel like they're the ones being punished. Give him a couple of days, though, and he'll lose his voice."

"Cyrus! Control yourself!" the clear voice of Lairdess Calhia rang out. At the behest of his mother, or more likely the shock of finding her down in the dungeon with him, he became silent. All of the cells were lined up with each other so one could not see the face of those they were addressing.

"How did you end up in here?" the lairds-heir asked. His voice was gruff because of his irritation at being locked up.

Hira answered Cyrus before his mother could. "They put us in here because we had recent contact with both you and father. They said that was evidence enough that we were part of the conspiracy," she explained testily. "Why did you murder father?" she demanded.

"Our father is in the desert somewhere being chased down by a few cavalrymen. The fellow we killed earlier was a changeling," the Cyrus corrected.

"How would you know that?" Hira probed, not convinced.

"I brought the news to him that there were many changelings here in Gleight. Before I go on, how would you think father to react when I would ask such a question?" Cyrus asked as a roundabout way to discern if his sister and mother were truly Hira and Calhia.

"He would look into it immediately," the laird's-heiress replied.

"Precisely," Cyrus confirmed. "But this false laird treated my news of there being more changelings in Gleight lightly, ordering me to go back to surveying the troops, saying that 'he'd handle it.'"

"Impossible!" Hira protested. "He would require you to come along to substantiate your claim!"

"But he didn't," Salin cut in.

" _Shut up!_ " screamed a guard down the hall.

"Come down here and make me, _dekhod_ shoveler!" Cyrus spat.

As soon as he said this, the five prisoners could hear a chair scoot back and heavy booted feet come down the hall. "What's a suitable punishment for a traitor like you?" the jailer asked with a malicious grin, twirling his flail around. Rather than answer, Cyrus simply spat in the jailer's face.

"Oh no…" Salin muttered when he saw the jailer recoil from the spittle. He could see the jailer lean in close and say something quietly to the lairds-heir.

It must have been something gravely offensive because the next thing out of Cyrus's mouth was, "You'll pay for that one, you clanless git!" in a furious tone.

Narhhas, Hira, and Calhia all gasped. The only thing that would have made that insult any more stinging would have been for him to say it in Trilby. "Uargh!" the jailer roared as he walked over to the door and fumbled with the key to open it.

"Wrong key, fool!" Cyrus jabbed triumphantly as he grabbed the jailer's shirt and pulled his head into the bars. The lairds-heir gaped in horror when the jailer seemed to be unaffected by having his head rammed into an iron bar. Cyrus hopped back against the wall as the jailer managed to get the door open. "Wrong jailer, fool!" the guard retorted contemptuously.

"Changeling!" Cyrus accused, groping for anything he could use as a weapon. The only thing at hand was a bucket on the floor. With an evil smile on his face, the jailer pulled a club out of his belt and approached the lairds-heir. In a desperate maneuver Cyrus attempted to dodge around the jailer to get to his sword. In his attempt he was met with the club across his ribs, however.

While still recovering from the powerful hit, he swung the bucket around wildly. His efforts proved entirely ineffective. The jailer shrugged off a direct hit to the head and gripped Cyrus's wrist. The lairds-heir yowled in pain as his arm was twisted backwards, causing him to drop the bucket. Cyrus yelped after each repeated blow he was dealt by the jailer, who cackled heinously at the highlander's plight.

For the final attack, the jailer lifted Cyrus above his head with one arm and hurled him into the wall. The lairds-heir fell crumpled to the ground with a groan. As the jailer slammed the door behind him again he regarded Cyrus. "Learn to behave yourself and you might spare your friends. Who knows, if you keep your head down and your mouth shut I might only ravage your mother _or_ your sister and not both! Hahaha!" he warned heinously as he stalked back down the hall.

"Are you alright, son?" Lairdess Calhia asked with motherly concern after the jailer was out of earshot. Cyrus spat some blood on the floor. "I'll *ghuh!* be fine," he gasped. "I think he bruised a rib…" the lairds-heir groaned.

"What's going to happen to Gleight, now?" Hira muttered. "All of the leadership is in prison or in the desert, and some changeling probably has free run of the city now."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Salin growled.

"Apologies, general," Hira replied, albeit insincerely.

"It might be more productive to think of how we'll get out of here?" Narhhas suggested.

"Naturally," Salin replied testily. "What else is there to think about?"

"Quiet," Cyrus managed weakly. He broke a slight grin. "Causing a ruckus is my job, remember, Barracuda?"

Salin grinned broadly. Back in their mercenary days, Cyrus had uttered that exact same sentence to him when they were both imprisoned and the lairds-heir had received a similar beating.

"Barracuda?" all of the other prisoners asked in unison.

"My old mercenary call name," Salin replied, flushing slightly. "I haven't been called that since…" he reminisced for a moment, and realized that it indeed had not been that long. "Shailon was helping us come back here," he grumbled, sitting back down on his hard prison bench.

"Did you say 'Shailon?'" Hira asked. "He still lives?" she added, slight hope in her voice.

"Don't even think of it, sister," Cyrus rebuked. "He's gone dirty. He tried to ransom ratchet my wife on the way here."

"And he's not alive anymore, either," Salin added bluntly. "Such punishment is deserved by those that attempt to harm the royal house of the zoras."

"By Eulia, you sound like a proper palace guard now," Cyrus said with a snicker.

Hira sighed wistfully. "You were fond of him, weren't you?" Narhhas asked.

The laird's-heiress was silent for a moment before she replied. "Yes. I was. It pains me to hear of his lack of honor."

Suddenly, an agonized scream from Cyrus tore through the air. "What is it?" Calhia asked anxiously. "Did you lay on a cracked rib and break it?"

Cyrus gasped for breath a few times. "The…" he struggled. He risked a glance down the hallway to see if any guards were in earshot. He gasped again. "That's not…" he puffed. He groaned in pain again. "Cyrus, tell me!" Salin urged. "Say it quietly if you don't want the guard to hear; I'm right next to your cell."

The lairds-heir dragged himself over to the side of his cell adjoining Salin's. "It's the Zora's Sapphire," he whispered. "It's cold. It feels like it's gone to ice, all of a sudden."

"Enough to take the breath out of you?" Salin asked.

"Yes!" Cyrus hissed.

"I don't know for sure what that means, Cyrus," the zora admitted. "But if I didn't know any better and considering the magic in that talisman, I'd say that Ruto's in trouble."

"Silence, all of you!" the zoran prison guard shouted in order. Nearly all of the highlanders trapped in the dungeons of Zora's Domain were loudly protesting their predicament, even those that had sustained grizzly wounds from the encounter with the darknut. They made it very clear how insulting it was to a highlander to remove his weapons from his sight. The guard had made the edict for silence several times, and each time he went entirely unheeded.

The zora prison was hollowed out of a cave in Zora's Domain. As such, the halls and cells were not uniform size or regularly shaped. The mouths of these small alcoves that were made into cells were blocked off with coral bars lashed together with leather thongs that were glued down so they could not be pried or broken loose. As dainty and frail as the barricades looked, the highlanders found to their surprise after ramming themselves against them that they were tenacious blockades indeed.

Unlike the rest of the highlanders, Arah was seated on the floor with her back against the wall. While most highlanders would protest and harass the jailers while they were imprisoned, she handled incarceration in a similar fashion to hylians: submissively and fearfully. Bruga was taciturn as well, but his energies were spent in thought rather than brooding.

" _Tost cuiribh!_ " the laird eventually bellowed. The noise in the cell died down from furious shouts to a baleful murmur.

The prison guard untensed when his prisoners fell quiet. "Much better," he said, as if it were by his order that peace was restored. "Now, as I've been trying to ask you, what reasoning had you for kidnapping our beloved Ruto? Where were you taking her for ransom?"

"There is nowhere this side of the desert that would take her for ransom, I'm certain," Bruga replied calmly. "If it truly is as my son told me, the people of hyrule are at peace and indeed close allies. Thus none would take her for ransom except for petty bandits that wouldn't be able to hold her."

"This very place was our destination," Arah chimed in. "Why would we come up here to begin with if we were trying to ransom her? Why would the princess not be bound if she were not kidnapped?" the highlander maiden reasoned.

"I'm no fool," the jailer growled, wringing his polearm. "You brought her _here_ because you knew we would pay dearly to get our beloved princess back! But you didn't count that the zoras would be too clever for you barbarians and that we would arrest her kidnappers on the spot with our superior force and liberate her. Tell me the truth."

"We have told you the truth," hissed one of the warriors. Shouts of assent rose from the highlanders until Bruga once again ordered quiet.

"My men speak truthfully," Bruga said once he had the floor again. "We of the Trilby Highlands are a people greatly devoted to honor. To lie is not our way," he explained carefully.

"More falsehood!" the guard spat. "You are barbarians and nothing more. You live for blood, steel, and combat. Lord Dalua knows your true nature. I'm sure if I sent for him he could coax the truth out of you!"

"If you won't believe anything we say," Bruga rumbled as he approached the coral lattice that was the cell wall. The guard was standing close to this wall. Even though he was as tall as Bruga was, he found the laird's bulk rather intimidating and he took a step back. "Then we have nothing more to say to you. Leave us be," he ordered.

"Very well," the guard replied in frustration, tapping the butt of his spear on the ground. "It would be just as productive as further interrogation as you haven't been telling me the truth," he concluded. The guard spun on his heel and left the highlanders alone in their cell.

As soon as the guard was gone, Arah leaned her head back against the wall and sighed deeply. "I will say this, this must be one of the most beautiful prisons I've ever seen," she said with a nervous smile.

"Aye, lass," the laird replied absently. He stood stoically in the center of the cell once again, arms folded, deep in thought.

All of the highlanders had now dispersed away from the latticed wall and were speaking among themselves. "...Lorelei leads us here just to chuck us in the dungeon," one angry soldier could be heard to say.

"She's a good woman," Arah defended. "You even saw her. She was just as surprised that we were being thrown in here as you are."

Several hours later, four guards entered the prison. All of the highlanders glared at the zoras when they stopped in front of their cell. "Are you the chief of this lot?" one of them asked Bruga gruffly. The laird only nodded in response. "Come with me," the guard ordered. "Lord Dalua wishes to speak with you," he said as he signed for one of the guards to open the cell.

"You won't take the laird anywhere," growled one of the warriors dangerously. "I'd imagine just what kind of interrogation techniques you have in mind. If you even lay one hand on him I'll wrap that fishtail-"

"Harrseigh! Quiet!" the laird barked. Reluctantly the highlander stood aside as Bruga approached the door to the cell. "Lead on then," he said tersely. The guards nodded and promptly led Bruga out of the dungeons into the humid outside air of the zoras' homeland. Many of the zoras they passed muttered derisively and shook their heads when they saw the laird.

"It seems that your people are no lovers of the highlanders," Bruga observed.

"We hold all that would dare harm our people as scum," the escort huffed. "Whether it be river zoras, gerudos, or even Trilby barbarians like yourself."

Seeing that any other thought he voiced would likely be met with insult, the laird followed his guards dutifully into the palace. Presently they arrived at Kedor Dalua's office. In the center was a desk carved masterfully out of many different colors of coral. On the front was the crab, Dalua's crest. Behind the desk was a chair with matching decoration. Currently seated in it was the red zora himself. On the sides of the room there were many shelves displaying different baubles and trinkets as well as books. Most were written in zoran and Bruga would have been unable to read the titles even if he paid them any attention.

"Ah, thank you guards," he said with his smooth voice. "You must be the chieftain of the barbarians that kidnapped the princess," he said sharply, fixing a harsh gaze on his prisoner.

"The official title is 'laird,'" Bruga replied cooly. "And by no means are we barbarians. For example, we don't immediately imprison our guests when they enter the city, even when they are of an opposing clan," he added hotly.

The perpetually upturned corner of Kedor's mouth rose slightly. "If you did not deserve it, it would not have been done," he defended.

Bruga folded his arms and made no reply, yet he stared intently into Kedor's red eyes, as if daring him to give the laird an excuse to break his neck. The zora broke his gaze when he arose and paced over the the laird, his hands behind his back in business-like fashion. "Why would you attempt the kidnapping of princess of our glorious kingdom?" he asked in a wounded voice, a voice that if most listened to they would feel that they had committed some heinous act, even if he had used it to simply comment on the weather.

"Is it because you needed a ransom because your village is strapped for money?" he suggested, now walking around the laird, whose eyes were still riveted straight ahead. "Perhaps because you wanted her beauty to grace your hideous peoples and land? Or was it possibly because you and your son wished for physical favors from her?" he asked venomously, particularly on the last question.

"No such reasons," Bruga growled.

"No? Then what was it? I'm dying to know, torch-head," Kedor asked, slight surprise in his voice. "Tell me the truth," he ordered softly, his voice taking on a rather hypnotic tone.

"If you wish for the truth, I shall give it," Bruga replied, his eyes fastened to the zora once again. "But it is up to you to decide to believe in it or some fantasy you've created," he added coldly.

"By all means, it is only the truth I seek," Kedor replied, his voice still hypnotic. "Was it because you wished her for your concubine, and for your son? Was that it? I believe that was it," he said smoothly.

"By Eulia, no!" Bruga defended vehemently.

"Who is Eulia? I have heard tales she is your goddess of domination," Kedor replied.

"That is a twisted aspect of her worshipped by the Shils'has clan. She is the goddess of victory. She is our patron deity, but do we not deviate from the course of your interrogation?" Bruga asked.

"Forgive me," Kedor requested, again hypnotically. "I only wish to be enlightened on the ways of one so noble."

"First you insult me and then you attempt to gain my favor with hollow compliments?" Bruga asked. "Never mind, I shall deliver the truth to you," he said with a sigh.

"Very good," Kedor said levelly and smoothly.

"Darkness befalls the old lands where hyrule once stood. The only people there that have the might to stand against it are the highlander clans, yet the clans are in disunity and some refuse to cooperate with one another. We came here with your Princess Ruto to request your aid," the laird explained.

"That's not what happened," the red zora dismissed. His hypnotic voice was beginning to annoy the highlander. "But you did not tell me why you kidnapped the princess?" he reminded.

"Ruto… was… not… kidnapped…" Bruga replied, pausing between each word to string out his patience. "As she herself told me, my son Cyrus had married her and thus became your prince. He departed from here back to his homeland, to be among my clan. Your princess was distraught over this and embarked on a quest to find him," he began. Kedor was listening attentively, but with the expression that one assumes when they're listening to a fantastic story concocted by a child to avoid punishment.

"When she found out about the precarious situation in the old lands, she left with some of my warriors in an embassy back here to request of her father-the true king of the zora tribe-the soldiers to reinforce us," he concluded.

"That's not what I've heard," Kedor said condescendingly. The hypnotic tone was in his voice, but it was laced with irritation now. "I have been informed by the princess herself that Cyrus forced her to leave Zora's Domain with that cur Salin Bluescale in company to find the highest bidder for her. They thought that your city-Gleight-would be the best place to start, as you barbarous hill folk treat women like people designed to grant sexual favors-"  
"Put your forked tongue back in your gob before I tear it out!" Bruga roared furiously, his patience completely spent. Kedor seemed quite taken aback by the threat. "I've told you the truth," the laird rumbled, stepping toward the red zora. "And you have elected not to believe me. You seem to be intent to convince me otherwise of the true events of these past few days. I'm not some idiot child that believes any _dekhod_ pushed down his throat!" the laird added balefully.

"Guards!" Kedor ordered desperately.

"Back away until I've finished speaking with this fool!" Bruga snarled viciously, insomuch that the zoran soldiers balked. "You speak your lies as if you presume I will believe them implicitly. You tell me that my daughter-in-law has spoken differently than what she had told me. She is honorable, else she would not be wed to my son. We are imprisoned under false pretenses, and I have the suspicion that it is by your order and not the king's. Is the king even alive? Answer me!" he bellowed. Rather than answer, however, he ordered his guards to drag away the laird and return him to his cell.

"Very well. Leave me unanswered," Bruga growled, shrugging off the guards. "I know how to follow," he snapped at them, stalking out of the room behind them.

As soon as the laird was gone, Kedor took a few deep breaths. "Strong willed, that one," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. He stretched out and began to work on some paperwork that he had been attending to previously. _Blasted torch-heads_ he thought dolefully.

Moments later, there was a soft knock at the door. "Enter," he ordered, not looking up. The door creaked open slowly and quiet footsteps entered into his office. "Is… this a bad time?" Ruto asked tentatively.

Kedor looked up and smiled widely. "It's never a bad time for you, my dear," he replied, arising from his seat. He and the princess embraced warmly and kissed one another.

"What do you need?" he asked gently.

Ruto's midnight-black eyes were full of affection towards Kedor, but they were somewhat distant. "I only wished to know if the barbarians confessed yet, dearest," she stated.

"Unfortunately they have not," Kedor answered, releasing the princess.

"That is lamentable!" the princess moaned. "They must know how useless it is for them to lie!"

"They are only savages, after all," the red zora conceded. "Even when backed to the wall they will do only evil," he sighed.

Ruto brought a finger up to her chin. "Dearest, why exactly is it so imperative that they confess to kidnapping me? If you wish them executed my testimony is surely enough," she said. She then blushed and looked down. "Forgive me, Kedor. I do not mean to question you," she retracted in a small voice.

"Quite alright," Kedor replied smoothly, kissing her forehead. "I wish them to confess because once they do I can then discover all others involved in this plot against you. Surely the whole of their clan is guilty, as it was their chieftain with them, after all. But who else would have wanted your scales, my dear?" he explained. Ruto shrank back.

"Do not be frightened, my dear," Kedor soothed as he wrapped his arms around the princess once again to console her. "This is why I am doing what I am. It is to make sure you are protected and no other will put you in harm's way or separate us."

"Ever again?" Ruto asked hopefully.

"Ever again," the red zora assured. "Ever again," he repeated softly. They held each other for a few minutes. Kedor listened to Ruto breathing peacefully within his embrace. "My dear?" he asked.

"Yes?" the princess asked with a contented sigh.

"It has been a traumatic few days for you, but do you still remember our wedding day?" Dalua asked.

Ruto thought for a moment before answering. "Alas, I do not," she lamented. "I'm deeply sorry. You know that I love you, but you said yourself-"  
"Hush," Kedor commanded gently as he placed a finger on Ruto's lips. "I understand your forgetfulness. You have had much weight upon your mind lately. We were to be wed three weeks hence," he explained.

Ruto was in thought again. "That sounds true," she said. She then cried a little. "I have remembered… It pains me greatly," she said hesitantly.

"What is it?" Kedor asked in alarm as he now held the princess out at arm's length. He chastised himself for doing so a little too brusquely.

"Please don't be angry," Ruto plead.

Kedor looked deeply into the princess's black eyes. "Hear me, Ruto. I love you too much to ever be angry with you. What is it that would prevent our union?" he asked in measured tones.

Ruto looked up hopefully. "We cannot get married until I have the Zora's Sapphire once again. Zoran law forbids the union of the heir to the throne without it," she pointed out brokenly, some tears forming in her eyes.

Kedor considered for a moment that he could simply convince her and her father that the Zora's Sapphire was unnecessary, but at the same time he would need to persuade every other zora of the same. Trying the same powers of suggestion he had used before so close to the time he had used it already would risk the sanity of those he made his subjects.

"Have you lost it?" he asked smoothly. "What has happened to it?"

"The barbarian prince still has it!" she sobbed.

Kedor grew angry with this news and he broke away from the princess and stalked over to his window. "This is very troubling news," he said emotionlessly. "I do not know where he hides!" he growled.

"I do!" Ruto said hopefully.

Dalua whipped around to face her again eagerly. "Tell me!" he ordered, leaning over his desk towards her.

"He has given up his mercenary ways and decided to remain the prince of Gleight," she chimed brightly. "I suppose he found he receives more wealth as such-"

"Where is Gleight?" Kedor interrupted suddenly, causing the princess to start.

"It lies beyond the desert…" she replied hesitantly.

Kedor pushed off of his desk and cursed loudly. "Every step I take…!" he shouted before he restrained himself. Ruto was cowering at the outburst. The red zora sighed and reached out a hand to stroke her fins. "I am not angry at you, my dear. I am but frustrated that things seem to be conspiring to get in the way of our blessed union. Oh, I cannot wait!" he pined.

"Nor I," Ruto replied with equal enthusiasm, clasping Kedor's hand in her's. A sudden idea struck her then. "I do not know about recovering the Zora's Sapphire, but I think I may know how you may get one of the barbarians to admit to being party to the abduction!" she piped.

"How?" Kedor asked with rapt attention.

"I would suggest you speak with the woman among them. Her name is Arah," the princess suggested. "I remember that she was kind to me. Perhaps there is enough good in her that she would confess?" she offered.

Kedor thought for a moment before replying. "My dear, you are brilliant. That is why I love you so!" he exclaimed, kissing the princess's hands. Ruto beamed. "Guard!" Kedor ordered. Promptly, a soldier entered the study.

"My lord?" he asked crisply, saluting.

"Fetch me the woman among those barbarian prisoners. Her name is Arah," Kedor ordered. He then turned to Ruto. "You shall now hear the confession from her own lips," he said with his characteristic grin.

"Just promise me she will not come to harm?" Ruto plead. "She was kind to me…"

"I can only promise that justice shall be served, my dear," Kedor replied. Ruto did not appear to find this news comforting.

After a few moments of Ruto and Kedor speaking soft and tender words to one another, the guard rapped on the door. "I have Arah," the guard announced.

"Enter," Kedor answered in a business-like tone.

Two guards came in with response to the order, each one of them holding one of Arah's arms.

"It was only minutes ago you had the laird in here," she pointed out. "What did you-princess!" the highlander maiden gasped, bowing to Ruto.

"Arah," the princess returned tersely. "Why does she bow to me?" Ruto asked Kedor in a tone a child would ask a question to her parent.

"Because I honor you!" Arah replied. "You are royalty after all, and among the highlanders, no less. Of course I would bow to you. You are my princess!" she explained, the excess of verbage coming because of nervousness. She attempted unsuccessfully to shake the guards off.

"But I'm not-" Ruto began, but was silenced by the red zora.

"Do not attempt to warp her mind beyond what you already have," Kedor interrupted defensively. "I brought you in here to discover why you kidnapped our dear princess, not for you to speak with her!"

Arah appeared stunned. "Ruto… we're friends. What is this madness?" the highlander asked, sounding wounded.

"You were part of the conspiracy that kidnapped me," the princess replied flatly, as if this were a blindingly obvious statement.

"You are here so that we may learn your motives and determine how justice shall best be served," Kedor clarified icily.

The highlander was puzzled. "There was no conspiracy! What's going on here?" she demanded.

"There was," Kedor replied calmly with his silky smooth voice. "And you will tell me of every detail," he ordered.

"Please do," Ruto plead. "I would not want to see harm come to you because of defiance. You did show me kindness, after all…" she trailed.

"I'm sure the laird told you every detail you wished to hear," Arah shot back coldly. Normally she wouldn't be such a defiant prisoner, but she felt betrayed by Ruto which did enough to sour her mood to elicit such a response.

"He was… uncooperative," Kedor said. "But… I know that you will speak the truth. Ruto thinks highly of you," he added. His voice was beginning to take on its familiar hypnotic tone.

"Does she?" Arah replied, looking away from both of the zoras. "Why didn't she exercise her mighty royal powers to keep us all out of jail on false charges? Or why does she seem to be suddenly corroborating them?" she asked venomously.

"It was the trauma over being kidnapped," Ruto explained. She was silenced from further explanation by a raised hand from Kedor.

"You kidnapped her for ransom, did you not? That was it," he hypnotically suggested.

"Pah!" Arah spat. "No self-respecting highlander would commit ransom! Such a course is for honorless dogs like you!"

"No?" Kedor responded silkily. "Then was it so she could be a plaything for the laird and his son?"

"By all the gods no!" Arah defended vehemently. "They would do no such thing!"

"You must not lie," Kedor replied. His hypnotic voice was growing frustrated as it was before when he was interrogating the laird. Usually he would have won over his victims' minds by now. "Justice and the well-being of the princess are my only concerns, highlander. As I am sure it is with you."

"Before she betrayed us," Arah said coldly. Her green eyes seemed to darken a shade.

"Arah, pl-" Ruto began but was silenced again by the impatient Kedor.

"You betrayed _her_ ," the red zora pressed. "And you must tell me why."

In her anger Arah was able to break away from her guards. She moved in front of Kedor with deep-set fury in her eyes. Ruto backed away fearfully with a whimper. "Don't hurt him…" she plead quietly. Arah silenced her with a leer.

"You publish lies and expect me to repeat them to you," she accused. "You have received the truth many times. If you are going to believe only what you wish, so be it. I am through speaking with you. May all of Ruha's curses fall on your head for falsely imprisoning a laird and some of his people!" she stormed before turning on her heel and heaving the door open. "Well, escort me back to the dungeon! I haven't got all day!" she ordered the outside guards irritably.

 _If she won't respond to the persuasion of the mind then she may respond to force…_ Kedor thought. "Back in here, torch-head. I'm not through with you," he ordered bluntly. With the command the guards shoved Arah back into the office and slammed the door behind her. The red zora then made a sign to the guards who responded by grabbing Arah by both arms and pinning her to the desk.

"Kedor, no!" Ruto plead. Dalua looked tenderly over to her. "It must be done, love. Guards, please escort her back to her room," he commanded silkily.

"Do not harm her!" Ruto wailed.

 **"** **How do you know I am going to, my dear?" Kedor asked just as Ruto was pulled firmly from the office. Outside of the office now, the princess could hear Arah screeching in pain. "He did say it must be done…" she admitted quietly to herself. She only hoped as she was being led down the halls that Kedor was not using the bottle of purple chu jelly she had seen on one of his shelves.**


	14. Chapter 14

Leading the ten Gleight cavalrymen was a gaunt-faced and slightly shorter than average highlander named Yastur. He sighed in relief when Gleight came within sight after the long ride from the desert. He ordered all in his company to spur onward. "How will we break the news to the rest of the clansmen that the man they think to be the laird is in reality a changeling?" one of the soldiers asked as they cantered onward.

"The testimony of ten men should be enough," Yastur replied in his husky voice. "That and when the facts are examined, it's easy to see why the true laird would have run from the city as he did," he added. He hoped that he was right. The answer seemed to satisfy the original question, at least.

"Open for the men of Gleight!" the commander called up the wall to the guards, waving the standard of the clan.

"Aye," came the simple answer. "Have you finished the false laird?" he questioned.

"The laird we ran out was the true laird! He yet lives and attends Lorelei-Ruto to her homeland. The changeling lies within the walls of the city!" one of the other cavalrymen called back.

"Grave news," the gate guard returned. "But can you prove it?"

"He knows of the death of Euen!" Yastur shouted. With this response the gate guard's face drained of color. "I see…" he muttered before opening the gate, allowing the ten horsemen to enter.

"We must find the false laird and end him as soon as we can!" Yastur implored when he and his men were inside the city again. The gate guard shook his head soberly. "He is already dead," he tersely replied. "Cyrus, Salin, and Narhhas killed him already, but they are now in prison along with the lairdess and lairds-heiress for the charge of treasonous murder."

"Then free them!" Yastur ordered. "We know they're innocent now; get to it, man!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible," the guard declined.

"Why not?" one of the soldiers growled. "You didn't execute them, did you?"

The guard shook his head. "No. No, we have not. They're still in there because we've found that some changelings have taken the keep. We have them bottled in there but they don't need to eat or drink so sieging them isn't working. That and we don't know how many of our own ranks are among the demons' number," he reported grimly.

"Well, at least we know that if any of the laird's family or the fish man leave the keep then they're changelings," a rider piped optimistically.

Yastur ignored the soldier. "Why not just make as if you were about to storm the keep, then?" he suggested. "That may prove very quickly who the changelings are."

Before the guard could respond, the howling of a scout outside of the gate could be heard. He ran inside panting. "Oh, an officer. Yastur sir," he struggled.

"Deep breaths," the commander ordered smoothly as he dismounted to help the man stand. "What do you report?"

"Bad news!" the scout gasped. "The dark forces are amassing around the old Castle Town. I don't know when they'll begin their march, but it will be soon!" he wailed hysterically. "And Lorelei isn't back with the zoran army yet!"

"Calm yourself!" Yastur ordered. "We may be able to lend our aid once we have ousted the changelings. Pray to Eulia we have enough men to do so."

Cyrus lay groaning on the floor. The flogging he had received coupled with the bitter cold of the Zora's Sapphire against his skin made for a debilitating combination. "Can't you take off the medallion?" Narhhas asked out of concern.

"No," the lairds-heir moaned. "I think Ruto would be worse off if I did, somehow."

"Magic," grumbled Narhhas before he settled back into his seat.

"Narhhas," Hira whispered sharply. The highlander approached the other side of his cell. "Yes, lairds-heiress?" he asked dutifully. There was a momentary tearing sound followed by the young woman handing a piece of cloth to the other. "Give this to Cyrus," she instructed. "And have him wrap it around whatever it is that's hurting him. Having a layer between him and it may help."

"Where did this come from?" Narhhas whispered as he handed Cyrus the rag.

"The hem of my dress," Hira explained simply.

"That was an expensive dress, lass," Calhia reprimanded.

"You insisted that I wear it for our diplomatic missions," Hira retorted. "I'm honestly surprised it wasn't ruined in the course of our journey, especially on that day it rained.

Before Calhia could further chastise her daughter Cyrus called out, "Thanks for the cloth, Hira. It helped a lot."  
"My pleasure, Cyrus," the lairds-heir's sister replied. "How are your bruises?"

Cyrus massaged some of the more severely battered areas. "I'll be fine in time," he said. "But he packed a punch."

"More or less than a moblin?" Salin asked jokingly.

" _Quiet!"_ the prison guard bellowed in order. "You talk anymore and I'll flog all of you!"

"Let us all out at once to beat us and see what happens!" the lairds-heir challenged. All of the other prisoners winced. They wondered how the lairds-heir could be so defiant when he already had been roughly beaten. Their hearts sank even deeper when they saw the guard walk past their cells to reach Cyrus's.

"It wouldn't make any difference, palace rat," the jailer growled. "You can't ever hope to match the strength of our kind."

"Ah, so you admit to being a changeling?" Cyrus returned with a grin. In response the guard pulled out a whip that none of the others saw him carrying and cracked it a few times through the bars. "You missed!" Cyrus mocked, dancing away. The changeling guard snarled and whipped a few more times. After a few more assaults, Cyrus grabbed the end of the whip and with the flick of the wrist tore it out of the changeling's grasp.

"When you've been imprisoned a few times you pick up a few tricks," Cyrus explained to the baffled changeling. The lairds-heir then proceeded to lash the guard. The demon attempted to grab the whip as Cyrus had done and was unsuccessful in the attempt and only ended up with more cuts.

"Well, I'll be!" Salin piped. "They _don't_ bleed red!" he commented on the changeling's purple blood.

"How morbid," Calhia sighed.

"Some do, some don't it seems," Narhhas replied to Salin over the commotion. "The false Laird bled red," he pointed out.

The changeling was now attempting to open Cyrus's cell, club in hand while shrugging off the fresh lashes he was receiving. Salin, while he couldn't see the changeling now that he had moved too close to Cyrus's cell was cheering on the lairds-heir. "Get him where it counts, hothead! You need to choose life or honor today!" he advised. He had given this particular iota of wisdom to the highlander before while he and his friend were still mercenaries.

Throwing the door open the guard advanced on Cyrus with vindication burning in his eyes. The highlander only laughed triumphantly as he whipped at the guard. Taking Salin's advice, he then cracked it at the changeling's fork. The monster grabbed the area and fell on his knees, howling in pain. "You're not strong everywhere, are you?" Cyrus asked with a grin.

"Honorless swine!" the changeling wheezed.

"Today I might not be, but it has to be done to free some innocents and that," Cyrus returned stepping closer. "Is honor in its purest form," he concluded before kicking the changeling in the head, stepping on his fork, and punching him in the diaphragm.

"You still can take a lot," Cyrus said as a sideways compliment before he knocked out the changeling with the club. Quickly he looked both ways down the hall to see if there were any more guards. Finding none, he retrieved his sword and ended the monster before stealing the keys and freeing his family and friends.

"Alright!" Salin crowed triumphantly as he reclaimed his polearm and inspected it. "Anyone else down here that we should free? They might be able to help us out," the zora suggested. A prisoner down the hall took heart when he heard the zora's suggestion. "Hey! Down here!" he called.

The prisoner was a blonde-haired hylian with a thin beard. He had deep gray eyes and wore a forest green outfit. "Absolutely not!" Cyrus spat as soon as he saw the prisoner. "You can molder in that cell until the rats eat your flesh and the ants take what's left!" he concluded harshly.

"What do you have against this man?" Hira asked pointedly, as she cast a puzzled expression to her brother.

Cyrus glared at the prisoner and for a moment he wished he still had the whip to make a couple of quick flogs at the hylian before they all moved on. "This son of a bulbin held me up after we escaped from the gerudo fortress! He is not worthy of any trust. He should be glad I don't go and bury him neck-deep in the dirt again!" he explained hotly.

"Ooh… Mercenary's traitor punishment," Salin winced. "You don't get that unless you really deserved it," he explained half to the others and half to the prisoner.

"I'll change my ways, I swear!" the man plead desperately.

"No… way… in… Ruha's… domain…" Cyrus growled. "Troas," he spat the name of the prisoner at last. "And by the way, how do I know you're not a changeling?" he hissed further.

"Would a changeling know that you killed a gerudo witch by bashing her armor and then her head with your shield?" the prisoner said.

Narhhas gave a low whistle. "A gerudo witch! Nicely done, lairds-heir!" he complimented.

"Fine. You're not a changeling but you're still a _bueloch_ ," Cyrus countered with a growling voice.

"Who is it, Troas?" a female voice asked from the next cell over. Casting a glare at Troas, the lairds-heir paced over to the other cell which held two gerudos. They bore the signs of the intense animosity that the Gleight clan had for the desert thieves. One of them had a black eye and the other bore a nasty scar across her midsection. Still they seemed to present a dignified beauty. They wore no veils as gerudos typically do and neither of them wore the vibrantly colored purple lipstick that most of their kind would have, either. They still wore the brief upper garment and billowy pants and light shoes of other gerudos, however.

"I've seen you!" one of them gasped at Cyrus.

"Can't say I can say the same," the lairds-heir replied. "But then again all of you sand rats look the same," he added insultingly. His patience was thinning quickly with the delays.

"Cyrus!" the lairdess scolded. "You know how to properly treat a lady!"

"Your son is justified, o queen," the other Gerudo, the one with the scar, admitted. "We were vile thieves before. Being caught in your city has led us to see how wrong our path was. If you can find it within yourself to trust us, we shall aid you," she said with a low bow which was joined by the other gerudo.

"You kleptomaniacs listen to me…" Cyrus growled balefully, but he was interrupted by Hira.

"How can you prove that you mean well?" the lairds-heiress asked. As a member of the Gleight clan she bore no love for gerudos either, but she knew that if changelings were about in her city they would need all of the help they could find.

"We were to be executed for attempting theft while there was a prison break underway," one began.

"Yes," the other added in continuation. "By Troas and your man. In the commotion we had the chance to escape and took it. While we fled we found Troas buried in the sand with a spoon in his mouth," she said with a slight giggle, indicating the man in the next cell.

The black-eyed gerudo nodded. "We freed him and since we all knew that we were on the lam it would be best if we worked together, even if he was a man," she explained.

"Many times he has proved himself as our equal," the scar-marked thief continued. "We stole from so many great nobles!" she said proudly. This tone of voice blasted any chance Cyrus had of liberating these prisoners. He turned his back and began to walk out.

"Wait!" the scarred gerudo plead. "I say it with pride because it was a difficult task, not because we stole! I beg of you, allow me to finish and then pass your judgement!"

"As far as you're concerned, you've dug, lain in, and filled your own graves," the lairds-heir shot back as he stalked out.

Suddenly, the deafening crash of a ram hitting the main gate to the keep rocked the dungeon. Voices could be heard above calling in alarm, "Attack! The Gleightmen are raiding!"

"We need to move now if we're to help the invaders! Come!" Cyrus ordered, running for the door. Salin, Narhhas, and Calhia joined them.

"Son, I need to stop at the armory. If we are going to battle I must be prepared," the lairdess implored.

Hira, on the other hand, was hanging back. She looked at the gerudos and Troas with pity. She retrieved the key ring from the cell door where Cyrus had left it. When she returned, she looked critically at the three prisoners who looked up to her hopefully. "I will let you out," she proclaimed. She continued over the thanks of the prisoners. "But if you dare make one false action, if you dare harm a highlander and if you make any move to attack any of us, you will be sent to the chopping block. Do you understand?" she asked.

"Perfectly!" Troas's clear voice rang.

"Understood!" the two gerudos said in unison as Hira unlocked the cell doors. The three prisoners went and retrieved their weapons and began to head for the door. "Do not make me regret this," Hira ordered sternly.

"You won't!" the black-eyed gerudo replied thankfully as Hira joined them.

"I must stop at the armory as well," the lairds-heiress instructed. "I need a decent weapon and some armor."

"Understood!" the gerudos answered in military fashion. "Do you need us to help you put it on?" the scar-marked gerudo asked once they were inside.

"Yes; time is of the essence," Hira agreed. She gave Troas a look.

"Oh, right. Sorry," he said apologetically as he turned his back to the lairds-heiress. It seemed as if at any time he attempted to take a peek one of the gerudos glared back at him.

When they were finished, Troas was disappointed to see the lairds-heiress was dressed in a very protective set of light plate armor, complete with modest underlay garments. "We move," Hira ordered directly, unsheathing her sword and readying her shield. "Keep your daggers. These swords are for clansmen only," the lairds-heiress rebuked sharply to Troas as he was about to grab a sword for himself. Both gerudos giggled as they left the armory.

"Easy for you to laugh. You have your pikes," the hylian muttered.

"Hira…" Cyrus began in angry rebuke when he saw his sister come up the stairs with the two gerudos and Troas.

"Put your prejudices aside for one battle," the lairds-heiress said to silence her brother. "Without all of the aid we can muster this battle may well be lost already."

"No," Cyrus declined flatly.

"Cy," Calhia began tenderly. "Your sister is right. If they do turn traitor they can be dealt with easily enough on the battlefield."

The lairds-heir huffed. "Salin, you don't think that this is a good idea, do you?" he asked.

"You just had to drag me into this, didn't you?" the zora grumbled. He had recovered his armor now as well as his weapon. "Your ma and sister are right, Cyrus," he said with a sigh. Narhhas nodded in agreement.

Seeing the opinions were unanimous against him, Cyrus tossed his head in frustration. "Fine," he snarled. "But if this goes wrong I'm holding all of you responsible."

"Even your own mother?" Salin joked.

"You know what I mean," Cyrus murmured darkly. He peered out the barred window of the dungeons into the main hall. Another crash sounded and the gates shuddered dangerously. Several men that appeared to be clansmen were standing in battle ready positions, but they were in a formation that highlanders never used nor one that Salin had taught them. "Definitely changelings," the lairds-heir muttered.

"How many?" Lairdess Calhia asked.

The lairds-heir's blood ran cold. "I count at least thirty," he replied simply.

"They could take on over one hundred of our warriors!" Narhhas said soberly.

"Yes, but we'll have surprise on our side!" the black-eyed gerudo said hopefully. "Just wait until the best time and then…" she smacked a fist into her palm for visual effect.

Narhhas nodded in agreement. "By the way, it might help if we knew your names," he requested. "I'm Narhhas, the zora is Salin, the hothead is Cyrus." The lairds-heir blustered indignantly. "And the lairdess is Calhia and the one who freed you is the laird's-heiress, Hira. Now who are you?" he concluded.

"I'm Tilia and she's Saru," the Gerudo with the black eye said.

"One more lads and she'll give way!" Yastur ordered. In unison all of the highlander warriors manning the makeshift battering ram roared with spirit and charged the gate once again. True to the officer's word, the heavy gates to Gleight's keep shuddered and then blew open with the final impact.

"For Gleight! For Trilby! _Attaaaaaack!"_ Yastur bellowed in rousing command. The soldiers under him all roared in unison the Trilby battle cry " _Eulia!_ " calling on their goddess of victory as they charged fearlessly into the fray. Even though the strength of an individual changeling was many times that of a highlander, they all hesitated as the sheer force of the ancient battle cry hit them.

A few changelings fell in the initial rush, but all of the others brought their great power to bear in time to preserve themselves. With their first counterattack the changelings slew over a dozen highlander warriors. "Fight! Fight, lads! This is for your homeland!" Yastur rallied as he swung his greatsword and bashed aside an oncoming blade. The officer thrusted his weapon, to which the changeling responded by raising his shield to block with inhuman speed. Rather than land the blow, however, Yastur threw a dagger that buried itself in the changeling's neck.

"Sir! Sir!" cried a soldier as he grabbed Yastur's shoulder and pointed to the dungeon. When he followed the finger of his soldier he saw the laird's family, Salin Bluescale, the two gerudos and a dagger-armed and nervous-looking hylian charge into the thick of the battle, all of them working together on one changeling at a time, overwhelming the monsters and then dispatching them.

"What's your order on them, sir? They're not imprisoned, they must be changelings!" the soldier concluded.

Yastur shook his head as he parried a blow from another changeling. "To me!" he shouted. Five other highlander warriors rushed over and mobbed the changeling and killed him. "They fight against the changelings, lad, use your eyes!" Yastur rebuked.

"But, they have gerudos with them!" the soldier protested.

"We'll figure out if that matters later, Shar, now get in there!" he growled, rushing into the thick of the combat. Several highlanders lay dead on the floor while many others were still wounded. Those that remained were staying close together and were working with each other very effectively to destroy the rest of the monsters.

Three changelings turned their attention to Cyrus's group. "Keep in line, now," the lairds-heir ordered as their enemies moved closer. One of them was armed with two swords, one with a mace and shield, and the last with a battle ax. They lined up side to side to face the small group. Previously when they were facing single changelings at once, the gerudos would use their pikes to occupy the changeling. Salin would then swing his heavy polearm to overwhelm the defences of the demon and then Cyrus, Calhia, Hira, and Narhhas would flank it and attack it with their swords (or in Narhhas' case, his ax). Finally, if he got close enough before the others had finished it, Troas would make his way into the fray unseen and attack a vital area with his daggers to kill the changeling. Such a maneuver would be impossible with the arrangement of enemies they were facing.

"Pikes to the sides," the lairds-heir commanded. Nodding, the gerudos began to thrust their long weapons, one attack each on the side. The changelings on the sides were the ones bearing shields, which they used easily to batter aside the assaults. In the midst of this, Troas tried to approach the mace armed changeling from the side, but he was caught and the changeling swung a mighty blow into him, sending him crumpled on the ground some ten feet away.

"No good," Salin reported grimly. He swung his polearm in a mighty arc at the enemies, but he was easily deflected. Cyrus growled in frustration. He made a quick jab at one of the changelings and was thrown back.

"They're toying with us!" Narhhas hissed as he tried to feint a few times to get an open attack. His attacks were futile, the changelings were always too fast. Saru made a lunge at the sword wielder. In an inhuman feat of strength and speed, he caught her pike in between his weapons and tore it from her grasp, throwing it randomly into the melee. In her shock he charged at her and landed a debilitating hit on her.

"No! Saru!" Tilia wailed before her friend could be finished. She attacked blindly with her pike and was met with a mace blow to the side that badly wounded her as well.

"...Don't wear any armor…" Cyrus could be heard muttering as he made a move for one changeling. He faked a lunge to make his opponent swing his ax. As the weapon came down he swung his shield in an arc over his head to redirect the path of the blow. With the maneuver successful, he made a slash at his enemy who quickly angled his shield to intercept. Hoping to get too close for the ax to be effective, the lairds-heir hopped forward and made a shield bash at his enemy's shield. Even though the bash landed and the changeling's shield was knocked to the side, the demon kicked Cyrus which knocked him on his back and made him slide back a few feet.

With a wicked grin, the three changelings advanced on Cyrus. With a short nod to her mother, Hira charged at the ax armed one. With barely a sideways look at the lairds-heiress, he raised his ax to block her assault. What he didn't see, however, was that Hira had crept up behind him. She plunged her sword into his back and allowed his agonized howl to rend the air before she freed her weapon again.

Even though the remaining two changelings were surrounded, they were not afraid. They spaced themselves out from each other slightly and began to spin with their shields and weapons out. When any of the party attempted to attack their unprotected legs, the changeling quickly angled a weapon down to divert the attack.

By now Cyrus was on his feet again. Even if the changelings looked like members of his clan, he wasn't as unsettled as he thought he would be. _It feels like I'm just fighting a different clan,_ he mused. He cried in challenge to the two changelings, yet they did not heed him and continued whirling. With careful observation he noticed that the changelings were not lifting their feet off the ground. Somehow they were maintaining constant motion with only the ball of one foot making contact with the floor.

"Salin!" the lairds-heir barked to get his friend's attention. He made a sign for the zora to throw some water from his canteen onto the floor near the changelings' feet. Once the order was carried out, it proved to be a very effective maneuver. Both changelings slipped on the water and landed face first. With cat-like response, each of the sword wielding highlanders in the party leaped on the changelings and finished them.

Nearly fifty highlanders were slain or wounded, but only five changelings remained. "We won't survive this and these torch-heads won't take prisoners! Escape with your lives!" the lead changeling ordered his fellows. In quick response to the order they charged for the door, heedlessly trampling over highlanders and collecting wounds from swords and other weapons on the way.

"Archers!" Yastur called out. Those highlanders with bows quickly whipped them out. Astonishingly, each changeling took several arrows apiece before falling, however one of them managed to escape. "Don't let him get away!" the captain ordered. A few warriors quickly mounted horses that were tied outside of the keep and gave chace. Satisfied that the battle was now won, Yastur turned to those that had just escaped the prison.

Troas was still unconscious. Saru was laying on the ground, groaning. A deep laceration was made across her midsection that, if she lived, would leave her with another scar beside her other one. Tilia was kneeling on the ground clutching her side and breathing shallowly. Each breath seemed that it was giving her great pain. All of the highlanders and Salin were unscratched.

"Now, lairds-heir," Yastur began. "Just how did you make it out of prison and why do you have a few who were justly imprisoned with you?" he asked seriously. He was of lower station than Cyrus, yet the young highlander still respected the officer for his age and experience.

"I was able to steal a whip from the guard and from there then I got his club and knocked him out. That let me get my sword and kill him before I released Salin, Narhhas, ma, and Hira. As we were about to leave the dungeon, I heard Troas over there," he indicated the wounded hylian, "calling out to us to release him. It wasn't my choice to let him out. I was going to leave him and the two gerudos in their cells to rot. Hira's the one who let them come," he explained.

"Is this true, lass?" Yastur asked the laird's-heiress.

Hira stood firmly and looked steadily at the officer, clearly unintimidated and confident that what she had done was right. "We heard the beginnings of the siege going on from inside the dungeons. I thought it would be best if we had as much aid as we could from any source," she said.

"Do you know what manner of people those were?" Yastur asked pointedly.

"If I may," Cyrus began. With a sign from the captain he was able to continue. "These two have proven themselves on the field of battle. They did not attack our clansmen and the gave all their strength to help us against the changelings. I find them worthy of honor."

The captain appeared pensive for a moment. "And what of you, lairdess?" he asked to Calhia. "What do you find?"

Calhia nodded before she continued. "I agree with my son. They have proven themselves on the field of battle," she acknowledged. Yastur was about to speak again before she said over him, "However, sometimes one must prove themselves many times. These were all criminals from a young age. They may not reform right away. I would recommend that we watch them for some time before granting them our full trust."

"Thank you for your consideration," Saru said with a pained groan. "But we need medical attention!" she plead.

"You need more than medical attention, you need a druid," Narhhas observed when he saw the wounds. "You there!" he called to a soldier who was looking over the dead and wounded. "Bring a druid here as soon as possible! The wounded will need one!" he ordered. The other looked critically at the gerudos for a moment.

" _Move_!" Cyrus, Hira, and Calhia all insisted in unison. This caused the soldier to cast them frightened looks and run as fast as he could to do as requested.

"Hear that, Tilia?" Saru asked her friend with a wince. The other gerudo looked up with a dazed look. "Help is on the way!" she said cheerfully. Immediately after she groaned with the pain from her stomach.

"Shall I bind her wound?" asked one of the soldiers that had found some clean cloths. "No!" Saru restrained, practically in a shout. "If I let go I might break open!" she explained. The news caused Calhia to twist her face in disgust.

With everyone moving about and attending to the wounded and cleaning up the keep, Cyrus had a chance to pull aside Yastur and speak with him. "How did you know that you didn't have any changelings in your ranks?" he asked.

The captain broke into a grin. "When I trained these soldiers I taught all of them an old marching song that you know of, but no other clans do. I hadn't used it in a while so I assumed that any who knew it would have been in my forces long before these changelings came," he explained.

Cyrus appeared puzzled. "Just what is this marching tune _did_ you teach them?" he asked.

"One that's known very well among mercenaries," Yastur explained simply.

The lairds-heir was beginning to understand, albeit at a slow pace. "Which marching song?" he insisted. He jumped severely when Salin who he hadn't noticed behind him burst out singing rather loudly

Hey Gray Millie!

Clank-Ka-Tank!

Hey Gray Millie!

Clank-Ka-Tank!

Gray Millie like ta slice!

Clank-Ka-Tank!

Makes pieces small as rice!

Clank-Ka-Tank!

'Till one day she met her match!

Clank-Ka-Tank!

She couldnt'a left a scratch!

Clank-Ka-Tank!

"Alright, that's enough, Salin," Cyrus interrupted, a little annoyed. Yastur was stifling laughter.

"That's a rather… interesting song. What's it about?" Hira asked, her face in a slight grimace.

"Gray Millie's a sword," Cyrus replied. "Her match is a shield. The song goes on for a couple more verses- _Don't Salin_!" he ordered sharply when he saw the zora take a breath to continue the song. Salin made a false look of disappointment while he drooped his shoulders.

"Where is my aid needed?" asked a woman that just entered. She was draped completely in a plain, pearl-white robe with a green sash. Gleight's sigil was sewn into the sash.. Her hood was up, obstructing a view of all of her face except her lips which were a deep red surrounded by the typical pale skin of highlanders, complete with many freckles. "Here," Cyrus said, indicating the wounded gerudos. Salin was surprised to see the druid attend immediately to a race that he thought the highlanders bore such animosity towards. He even commented on this.

"There is not much difference between us. We are children of Eulia, and she is a child of the Desert Goddess, thus I shall heal all that I can. It is my duty as a druid," she explained. Her voice flowed like a clear river. "I but serve Eulia. I petition her for the health of these women, but it is ultimately up to Her to bring these back to their full strength," she concluded before she continued to murmur her prayer while using the herbs and poultices of her craft.

"Eulia or…" the zora began, but a restraining hand on his shoulder from Narhhas silenced him. The zora gasped in surprise when he saw that the blood stopped flowing out of Saru's belly and that she ceased to groan in pain.

The gerudo appeared just as surprised. With astonished hands she began to feel around where she was wounded. "The scars are even gone!" she gasped.

"Tilia! It's wonderful!" she cried enthusiastically when she looked over at her friend. Her face turned ashen when she saw that Tilia's face still was etched with pain and the black eye that she had been marred with previously. "Oh cruel fate!" Saru moaned.

She fell back when she saw the druid suddenly snap her head upright. "Saru," the druid said in a trance-like voice. "She gave herself to save you. She shows great honor. Aid my children in defending my home and her health will come to her quickly. Rest easy, niece, for she will not die."

All of the highlanders gaped in astonishment when the druid's head fell back down while she panted heavily. "You have… great favor with Eulia," the druid said with a few labored breaths.

Saru arose and looked steadily toward her wounded friend. "I… I won't fail you Tilia. You stood by me even when our doom seemed certain when we tried to loot the treasures of the fortress," she declared resolutely.

"You deserve our respect," Lairdess Calhia cut in. "Eulia seems to find a great measure of honor in your soul to speak to you through her druid and to give you such a task. You have our trust," she said with a nod.

"What about that one over there?" Narhhas asked, gesturing toward Troas. The others all appeared confused when they saw nothing where his body had been previously.

" _Schrast!_ " Cyrus swore viciously. "He ran away!" he growled.

"Watch your language, son. You are in the presence of a druid," Calhia scolded.

Ignoring her, Cyrus continued. "I'll do worse than bury that son of a bulbin in the sand if I ever catch him again!" he vowed. The other highlanders sighed in relief when he made the oath without drawing his sword, thus rendering the vow non-binding.

Yastur came over to the group after the druid left to attend to the other wounded. "I hate to trouble you so soon after such a battle, Cyrus, but before we started we received reports that the enemy's forces are massing near old Castle Town. We'll need to mobilize the troops quickly to make sure we're in time to help the other clans fight the tide of evil," he said.

Cyrus tilted his head down in deep thought. "The zoras aren't here yet," he stated pointedly. "The Wanderer made it sound as if we can't hope to put up a fight unless we have them by our side."

"True, lad," Calhia agreed. "But we may not have a choice at the moment. We must do what we can now. Perhaps we can slow down the fiends enough to allow the zoras enough time to make it here," the lairdess suggested. "I leave the choice to you," she added.

The thought hit Cyrus very strongly. He who had twice run from the throne and the heavy decisions that would inevitably accompany it was now faced with one such decision. If he hesitated the other clans may be overwhelmed, yet if he did not wait for the zoras there would be a possibility that he would lose the leverage that would be gained from combining Gleight's forces with the zoras', or they may lose the war anyway.

After considering his options further he sighed and gave his order. "Send out some of our armies to muster whatever strength we can from the rest of our holdings and move them to reinforce Galhedda and the other clans against the dark armies. Yastur, will you do this?" he asked authoritatively.

"Yes, lairds-heir," the captain replied crisply.

"The rest of our army," Cyrus continued. "Will remain here in Gleight and await the zoras to come. Once they do we will move to join immediately," he concluded.

"A wise decision, lairds-heir," Narhhas praised.

 **"** **Best get going, now Sir Yastur," Hira prompted. The captain left with a bow and immediately ordered his men to make the necessary preparations. "We're coming down to the bone now," Salin said as he watched the warriors prepare to leave.**


	15. Chapter 15

Ruto worriedly paced her quarters as the moon began to peer over the edge of the canyon carved out by the Zora's River. _Surely he's through with her now_ , she thought after she paused for a moment. She continued to pace for a moment before her curiosity bested her and she decided to go to the dungeons to see if Arah had been too gravely harmed.

"Princess," a guard forbade as she left her quarters. "Where are you going? Lord Kedor has not requested your presence. You were to remain in your quarters until you fully recovered," the guard chided.

"I am going to the dungeon to see the barbarians," she said simply as she walked away.

The guard grabbed her arm to restrain her. "I am sorry, but I cannot allow that," he said as he firmly escorted the princess back into her room.

"But I wanted to see if my friend Arah is well!" Ruto protested rather childishly.

"Impossible. Might I suggest you rest to recover yourself, milady? It would do you some good after these traumatic few days," the guard returned.

"I… I will," the princess replied submissively as she crawled into her bed. Though her heart was unsettled, her eyelids quickly grew heavy and she drifted off to sleep.

Ruto fell into a dream fairly quickly as she slept. She stood in a place where none of her surroundings had solid form, yet her feet felt as if they were on a cold stone surface. The air was cool and humid like it would be in Zora's Domain. Everything around was a dull misty gray.

"My dear," a voice said softly. It sounded as if it was Kedor speaking to her. She turned around in every direction, yet she was unable to see the red zora.

"Dearest, where are you?" she asked worriedly. "Hold me, I am frightened," she implored helplessly.

"Alas, I cannot right now. I'm so close to… D'agh!" he yelped in pain.

"Kedor!" Ruto wailed. She still couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice. That is, until she saw Kedor tumble to the ground a few feet in front of her as if he had been roughly thrown there. She wanted to run to him but she was unable to move.

"Dearest!" she repeated. Rather than acknowledge her, however, Kedor only looked around in terror, struggling to get to his feet. In the midst of his movements he kept kneeling or stepping on his fins and he was unable to rise. "No! Stay away!" he plead desperately.

As if in a purposeful walk, a highlander woman materialized out of the air before him. She was arrayed in superior quality armor that seemed to be made from dragon leather. Her face was stunningly beautiful with a perfect number of freckles, yet there was a certain wildness in her features. Her fiery red hair fell down to her hips. Two strands of it were tied into braids while the rest fell naturally. There were pins in her hair made from gems, each one seeming to change to a different colored gemstone whenever she moved. Now that the princess had a good look at her, she saw that her armor was studded with many similar stones.

The highlander woman's face was contorted in fury currently as she looked down at Kedor. The expression was one of a mother that was confronting one that had just hurt one of her children. "Your stay away from my daughter, wretch!" she hissed furiously. In her hand appeared a spear with a gleaming tip.

"No! Spare me!" Kedor plead.

The highlander woman prepared her spear and pointed it down, ready for the thrust. "You didn't spare anyone else in my child's mind. Die now, fiend!" she said as she mercilessly drove her spear down and ended the red zora's breath.

Ruto shrieked in devastation. After the first second, the scream began to die on her lips. She felt an odd feeling disappear from inside her chest that she had gained when she had spoken to Kedor after she had returned to Zora's Domain, which feeling she hadn't realized until now that she even had. She felt more like herself again.

"What happened to me…?" she asked after overcoming a sensation of lightheadedness. As she did so, the surroundings came into greater view. She could see that they were in the palace courtyard of Zora's Domain. The woman before her also changed as well. Her expression changed to one of maternal care that greatly enhanced her beauty. Her spear disappeared and her armor melted into a fine shimmering green dress that perfectly accented her hair. A necklace of the strange gems also materialized that fell on her chest along with a superior quality golden circlet on her head. The jewelry was delicate in its appearance, forged and worked spectacularly to temper the woman's already immaculate beauty.

"Do you mind if we move somewhere else? This is not where I usually meet my children, adopted or no," she said, her voice as gentle as a placid stream. Ruto hadn't noticed before, but now she could tell that this woman was speaking in Trilby Highlander, yet the princess was able to understand her perfectly.

"I do not see anything wrong with that," Ruto said hesitantly in her royal's tone as she was still unsure of what to make of this woman. It wasn't until after her reply that she realized she was speaking in zoran, yet the other seemed to comprehend what she said as the princess understood the highlander's words.

Their surroundings melted away. The blues, pinks, and grays flowed away like paint washed off a canvas and formed into a pure forest glade at the end of spring; the trees were in full leaf and the temperature was perfect for the zora's comfort. Judging by the trees around them, the rocks jutting out of the ground here and there and the vague dusty feeling in the air, they were in the Trilby Highlands somewhere. A beautifully carved wooden throne appeared in the glade. The throne had snarling dragons on the handrest. Ruto could have sworn their eyes moved slightly to look at her. Once they did, their faces relaxed into a passive expression.

The highlander took a seat in her throne and crossed her legs. Ruto could now see that she wore no shoes with this dress. "Who are you?" Ruto finally managed to ask.

The other woman smiled warmly. "I am your adopted mother, as of a few days ago," she explained simply.

The princess's face still shone puzzlement. "I am afraid I do not understand, madam," she said respectfully. "Perhaps if you told me your name?" she attempted.

The highlander woman's blue-green eyes still lingered on the princess's black ones. Ruto felt that the other was looking into the deepest pits of her very being and soul, yet she was not doing so critically. "I understand your confusion, daughter. You haven't truly known me for very long. I am Eulia," she introduced.

Ruto's eyes widened. A comforting feeling in her heart led her to believe the truth of the goddess's words. "I do not understand how you call me daughter," the princess admitted. "My deities are the three golden goddesses and Jabun…" she trailed. She thought that being in the presence of a goddess that she should fall to her knees.

Eulia gave a slight chuckle. "You can stand, daughter. Yes, they are still your gods, but when your blood mingled with my son Cyrus's, you became part of my family, of the highlanders, as well as theirs. You can call upon my name before you go into battle as all of my other children may, and I shall give you strength."

"Thank you," Ruto accepted simply. "Although I am not a warrior," she admitted somewhat awkwardly.

"That doesn't matter," Eulia dismissed with a wave. "I know that you're not nearly as pugnacious as my other children. It might help young Cyrus to be married to one so grounded as you, come to think of it."

Ruto gave a nervous smile. She wondered if it was appropriate to laugh in the presence of a goddess. She eventually gave way and burst into her crystalline laughter that Cyrus always found charming. The princess was surprised to find that Eulia had joined in with her. "See, Ruto? I am your mother! You can relax around me," the goddess said in gentle rebuke. "Here, have a seat," she added. A coral inlaid throne very similar to the one she had back in zora's domain materialized behind the princess.

"Thank you, Great One," Ruto said as she took a seat. "I must confess, I am not sure I understand why you brought me here," the princess said. She fell backwards in surprise when Eulia suddenly blinked from her throne to arm's reach of Ruto. The goddess bent down slightly and grasped the pendant that Cyrus gave Ruto.

"From the Gleight Clan, I see. A different wedding gift than I've ever seen," Eulia said. "A fine piece of work," she praised with a smile. The compliment caused the princess's heart to warm with joy. Not many were so directly complemented by a goddess. The dragon's head looked up and chirped at Eulia, then returned to its original form when the goddess let it fall back on Ruto's breast.

In an instant, the goddess was seated back in her throne. "The first thing I needed to do was to drive that usurper out of your mind. He had total control over you. He even went so far as to make you think that you were going to marry him," Eulia explained. The memories of Kedor began to resurface in Ruto's mind and they made her shudder.

"I suppose it's only right that I undo _all_ the damage he did," Eulia said casually. Following a subtle gesture of the goddess's hand, Ruto saw through a gap in the trees the figures of Salin, Cyrus, and others. With a much brighter expression, Ruto stood up to call to her husband. "Cyrus! It's me, Ruto! And your goddess, Eulia!"

"They are only personifications of your memories, daughter. They can't hear you," the goddess stated, a trace of lamentation in her voice. "Though it lifts my spirits when I see the both of you together, it cannot be so as we meet here," Eulia said to explain her tone. Ruto nodded in understanding and sat back down with some sadness. "I also needed to tell you that your friends are still in prison below the city," the goddess added.

Ruto gasped. "How could I have forgotten!" the princess reprimanded herself. "That and I need to get the zoran army back over to the highlands! Please Eulia, is there still time to muster the soldiers before the rains come to the desert?" she asked desperately as she rose from her seat.

Eulia smiled in her typical maternal fashion, yet the wildness was still in her face. "One step at a time, daughter. That usurper needs to be dealt with first," she said.

"Kedor…" the princess cursed. "He deserves no less than execution for what he has done… especially not with what he did to me," she growled furiously.

"Your blood can run hot like my other children, I see," Eulia commented.

The zora took a few deep breaths before speaking again after her emotions smoothed. "What can I do? Even after he's been taken care of, the rest of Zora's Domain is still thralled by that urchin," she said.

"It's an interesting thing he's done, daughter," Eulia began. "He has dominated the wills of all of the other zoras. Like with you, his form is the only one that is present in their minds. This can only be so while he alive to dominate their wills, however. Once he is dead, his form will still be present in their minds, but he will no longer have voice or any power whatsoever and all else will be restored to its proper order in their minds. He'll become nothing more than an unsightly stain in the carpet, to use a metaphor," the goddess explained.

Ruto sighed in relief. "So it can be done," she breathed.

"Indeed," Eulia confirmed with a nod. "But how will you go about it?"

"I…" Ruto began. "I can't have the guards do it because he still controls all of them. If I release any of the highlanders to end him they will all be killed. That only leaves…" the princess trailed hopelessly.

"I understand that you don't enjoy bloodshed, daughter, but it must be done," Eulia pointed out sympathetically. The princess reluctantly nodded, jingling her jewelry.

"It… should be easy enough," Ruto said, hesitant with her rather rough word choice. "He's already seen me without his guards but, ah! How will I keep him from enthralling me again?" she said in realization.

"He won't," Eulia assured. "I'll make sure of that."

"Then it will be done, by the laws of the zoras and by your wish, goddess," Ruto said reverently with a bow.

Eulia rose from her throne and approached the princess. She hadn't noticed before, but Eulia stood just as tall as she did. The goddess looked upon her with a warm and tender smile as she lined up her head fins. "I am proud of you, daughter," she said with deep love in her voice. She then hugged Ruto with motherly care. "You do what you must even if it is displeasing to you."

After she worked through her surprise, the princess returned the embrace. "May I ask you something?" Ruto eventually asked.

"Please, daughter," the goddess acknowledged.

"How is it that the highlanders did not become enthralled by Kedor?" Ruto queried.

"Because they are my children by blood, Ruto," Eulia explained. "I am in their mind in some fashion or another, as I now am in yours. Because of this, no others can take over their minds without their willing consent. It shall now be so with you," she said. The goddess then drew Ruto even closer and kissed the zora gently on the cheek, to Ruto's surprise.

"How did I fall to his spell then, if I share highlander blood now?" the princess asked.

"Why, because I allowed him," Eulia declared.

Ruto's face came to have a trace of suspicion. Eulia laughed and assured, "If I had simply barred him from your mind you would also be in the cell and we never would have had this meeting!"

"Remember, my daughter of fin," the goddess continued, now resting her hands on the zora's shoulders. "I love you just as I do my other children that love my true Aspect, those such as the Galhedda clan and those united with them at this time. I love you as do Din, Farore, Nayru, and Jabun. Go now, daughter," she said as she backed away. As she did so, her green dress morphed again into full battle armor. The intense wildness that Ruto had seen in her before had returned. "Go and make me proud! For Cyrus, for Gleight, for Trilby, for me, for Hyrule! _Keep the light burning!"_ she concluded with almost a shout.

Ruto was caught in the spirit of the words and found herself uttering a war cry "Keep the light burning! _Euliaaa_!" her voice echoed along with the sounds of an intense battle that had just arisen.

Once her voice and the din of battle had echoed into nothingness, Ruto awoke with a start. She felt sore all over her chest, neck, chest and other body parts. She found that she had gone to bed with all of her jewelry on. Silently she cursed herself as she rubbed the more sore areas and arose from bed.

The crescent moon outside was still shining brightly, casting its silvery rays through Zora's Domain. Guards performed their patrols dutifully in the quiet streets and corridors of the zoran city. The moonbeams danced peacefully on the omnipresent water that flowed through canals and fountains all around the city. The princess did not dwell on this scene for long, however. She immediately rose to do the duty she swore she would do, as distasteful as it was to her. Just as she opened the door, however, she was apprehended by a guard.

"Princess, you must stay in your quarters," he said firmly. Just as before, the princess noticed a strange distant look in the guard's eyes. Ruto almost jerked away, but then she remembered that it would be best if she still acted as she did while thralled to avoid arousing suspicion.

"I… had a bad dream. I wanted to see Kedor. I know it's late but I need some comfort from him…" she said innocently as she looked at the ground in childlike fashion.

"Wait here," the guard ordered as he left to fulfill the princess's wishes. She re-entered her quarters and paced a little nervously until Kedor arrived. To her dismay, he came in with the guard.

"What has happened?" Kedor asked tenderly, yet there was a trace of annoyance in his voice from being awoken.

Ruto faked tears and bawled, "Oh, Kedor! It was horrible! I dreamt that a mean dragon swooped in on our wedding and…" she paused, sniffling.

"And what, my dear?" the red zora asked. There were no other lights in the princess's quarters right now, but the moon and stars lent enough to allow the zoras to see.

"He… ate you," the princess managed before breaking into grievous sobs. She hoped that she didn't seem like she was overdoing it. "Hold me," she pleaded, reaching for Kedor. He wrapped her in his own arms. "Hush, dear. It will not be. It was but a nightmare," he soothed.

"But I cannot help but think that the dragon _meant_ something!" she wailed. "Something awful! You are a counselor! Can you not tell me what it means?" she plead.

Kedor thought for a moment. "It represents your hesitation, dear. But do not worry. We shall be wed, even if the sun and the stars themselves try to halt our blessed union. Not even Morpha reincarnate could!" he said in a confident whisper.

Ruto began to feel her chance nearing. "I'm not so sure…" she trailed.

"What do you think it means, then?" Kedor asked smoothly.

Suddenly, the princess threw him off onto the floor. "It was the dragon of Gleight, you finless usurper!" she shouted angrily. "I neglected to tell you that I was _happy_ when he ate you, didn't I?" she added in false self-rebuke.

Kedor, for the first time since Ruto had seen him, appeared genuinely terrified. "Guard!" he ordered. In instantaneous response, the guard rushed at the princess with his sword drawn, but she grabbed his sword wrist and twisted it in such a way to cause the guard to yowl in pain and then drop the weapon. She then punched him in a certain spot in the neck that caused him to collapse unconscious on the floor.

"Death is the only fit punishment for what you have done here," Ruto snarled as she turned to Kedor. "You sought to steal the power of the house of zora. You know full well that the punishment for treason is execution," she growled as she hardened her fins.

 _Why is she not thralled? Was the effect not strong enough?_ Kedor thought desperately. "Ruto," he chided in his hypnotic tone. His expression of fear was melting away. "I thought you loved me, my dear? We were to be wedded…"

"In your twisted fantasies and imaginations only, Dalua!" Ruto interrupted sharply as she advanced on the other zora. "And just what did you have planned for me? The very same thing you've accused the highlanders of? Or perhaps… Ah-ha!" she cried in triumphant realization. "You hoped to marry into the family so you could actually have a _legitimate_ claim to all this power you've amassed. Clever move, usurper."

"Absolutely not," came Kedor's silky and hypnotic reply. "I wished it because I love you, Ruto! The beauty of all of the other women in Zora's Domain doesn't match the brilliance in even one of your blessed scales, my d-"

"Enough!" Ruto screeched in interruption. "You are guilty of treason. No other zora in this kingdom is right-thinking, so the sentence must be passed to me. Face justice, Kedor Dalua, usurper!" she proclaimed as she swung a fin at Kedor's neck. She was surprised to see that he leaned back below the assault with incredible reflex and speed.

"Foolish girl, you don't think I don't have any combat training?" he condescendingly rebuked as he hardened his own fins and dropped into combat form. For a few moments the two zoras circled each other, waiting for the other to make the first move. Eventually, Ruto lunged forward, but feinted and came in from the side. Kedor was miraculously able to compensate and he danced away from the razor-sharp fin.

The red zora's evasion put him on Ruto's flank, which advantageous position he exploited. His fin dragged across her back, causing the princess to shriek in pain as she hopped away to avoid another attack. Ruto turned around with a frustrated huff and charged, dealing a flurry of unpredictable blows as she did so. At least, she thought her attacks were unpredictable. It seemed that Kedor batted away all of her attacks as a cat bats away a string. The only true hit left a superficial cut on one of his right gills.

Ruto aimed a kick at Dalua's side, but he easily grabbed her leg and threw her backwards. She was able to roll away just before Kedor brought his two fins down into the ground where she lay. "To what demon did you sell your soul to for such abilities?" Ruto demanded as she rose.

"Eulia," Kedor replied with a mocking sneer.

"She is a goddess of good, hagfish!" Ruto countered as she threw a few punches, each one of them countered.

"She is a barbarian destroyer goddess," Kedor said calmly.

"Uagh!" Ruto bellowed as she made a grab for Kedor's waist. He jumped away before she could grasp him and backhanded Ruto in the face. The princess was losing heart with the way this battle was faring. _Din, grant me your power to destroy this evil man!_ she plead internally before diving into combat again.

Ruto made slash after slash, kick after kick, but even those very few hits she landed only had marginal effect. Kedor on the other hand, had made good hits. Ruto was in great pain from a kick she had received to the kidney. Another one of his blows had left a great raking cut across one of her fins. She was quickly losing morale; she knew that Kedor was only toying with her.

Soon, the pain of the kidney shot was too much for her to bear and she landed on her knees, gasping.

"That's right, kneel!" Kedor crowed triumphantly as he approached. He grabbed the princess's neck with one hand and lifted her off the ground. "Ruling power here belongs to me now, and you cannot change that! Either you serve me or I destroy you, as you now have learned."

Ruto gagged a few times. "You… you…" she gagged.

"What is it you wish to say, Ruto?" Kedor mocked. "Another insult, perhaps? Or have you come to your senses and realized that you must now bow the knee to me? With our union, all the wealth, glory, and power of the zora tribe will fall to me! We shall subject those snotty hylians beneath us…" he continued.

The princess struggled for breath again. "You… You l…" she choked.

"Tell me now, princess. Choose your words wisely," Kedor continued. "It could mean your fate and that of your barbarian friends,'" he cautioned. He loosed his grip very slightly to allow Ruto to speak.

"You…" she gasped again. Now that she was able to grasp a lungfull of air she screamed with all the force and fury she could muster " _Eulia!_ "

The force of the shout caught Kedor off-guard, and he was surprised to find that the princess's strength had suddenly been magnified. She grabbed the usurper's arm and broke it at the joint. The red zora wailed in agony as he dropped the princess to the ground and his arm fell useless to the side, bent in a way it never was meant to be.

With his wounded state, he was still powerful, but he could not withstand the princess any longer. She landed several punches with such force that Kedor could not divert them, some on his broken arm.

When he was seeing stars, she swept her leg beneath his and felled him to the ground. "Traitors like you don't even get last words," she hissed balefully in zoran before bringing both of her sharp fins into Kedor's heart and destroying the red zora.

The princess heaved a few breaths as the battle fury passed over her, then she fell to her knees. "What a monster that was inside of me!" she murmured to herself. "As much as he deserved it, he was one of my people!" she continued, now supporting her weight with her hands as well.

The princess jolted with a start when her door burst open and three heavily armed guards entered. Her heart sank; she didn't have the strength to put up a fight against these men. Relief came quickly, however when one of them addressed her and she noticed the faraway mist in their eyes was gone. "Are you alright princess?" he asked with concern as he rushed over to lift her up.

She nodded in thanks. "Yes," she stated simply.

One of the other guards looked critically at Kedor. "So, the usurper has fallen now. I must apologize deeply, princess for the reception you had into your own homeland. Kedor had beguiled all of our minds. We are glad to be freed of his curse. If I may, princess, who is it that destroyed him?" As his eyes adjusted to the dark, he noticed the blood on Ruto's fins. "I am deeply sorry, milady! Such a grievous task should never have to fall upon a lady of your stature-"

Ruto interrupted the guard with an upheld hand. "It had to be done, though, and I was the only one that could," she dismissed. She felt her vision tunnel and she swayed. "I… (yawn) am very tired after that," she said with a sigh as she lost consciousness entirely after a brief and feeble struggle. The guards smiled at one another as they cleaned the blood off of her, removed her many jewels and put them in their places while the third among them gently lay their princess in her bed.

"You two see to the rest of the city, to see that their minds are all freed," he ordered as he exited the room with his fellows. "I'll make sure she rests undisturbed tonight," he added quietly, drawing his sword and posting himself outside of the door to Ruto's quarters.

The imprisoned highlanders were all glaring viciously at the zora that was posted in front of their dungeon cell. Arah had been quietly crying in pain from the purple chu jelly that was forced down her throat and the pain that came from the princess's betrayal. Bruga was on the ground beside her, gently patting her shoulder soothingly. At the same time he offered words of encouragement to his imprisoned clansmen.

Both the laird and Arah looked up at the guard as he suddenly heaved a stuttering gasp. His eyes had lost their strange glazed quality and they appeared now to have the sharpness of a vigilant and dedicated soldier and servant to his king.

"I… oh no…" he murmured as he looked at the highlanders. "I am deeply sorry for what has happened these few days!" he cried as he fumbled with the keys to the cell. Several angry highlanders awoke and crowded to the door. "Locking you up was a terrible mistake on our part! You should have been honored when you came; I'm so sorry-Ga-aack!" he choked after he had opened the door.

A highlander warrior was throttling the guard whose gills were fluttering desperately for some breath of air. "You will be sorry," the highlander promised dangerously. The zoran soldier struggled some more for breath and voice but was unable to gain either. After a moment the soldier released the zora to let him fall to the ground, coughing.

"No more! I can explain what happened!" he plead. He scooted his pike away to show he had no harmful intent.

"You'd best do so, quickly," Bruga rumbled as he pulled the zora to his feet and pinned him against the wall.

"Ah, thank you!" the zora gasped. "Some twisted nobleman came to power here recently. I don't know how, but he warped the minds of all of the other zoras. I think he planned to do the same with some of you but, lo! You seem to be resistant to that eel's mind games!"

"Enough rambling!" another highlander called out.

"I'm released from his spell now!" the guard cried rapidly. "I don't know what happened, but I know that I was under his influence and that I'm free now. I don't know why this is, but we must see if the princess and king are well!"

Bruga's expression softened as he released the guard. Another highlander handed him his pike back. "You'll regret this if you are lying," he hissed threateningly.

"I won't because I'm not," the zora countered directly. "This way," he added gesturing down the hall. "Your weapons and armors should be over here!" he said as he opened the door to the evidence cache. Surely enough, all of the highlanders' belongings were there, which they greedily reclaimed.

"Now, to the palace!" the zora ordered as he led the highlanders out.

On the way they were hailed by the town watch. "Hey, Sanse. Are you freed, too?" they asked. When the soldier replied in the affirmative and explained their task, the watchmen joined them as they headed toward the palace.

Many of the general zoran citizenry were leaving their houses as well, despite the lateness of the hour. Many comments and voices could be heard among them.

"...free of Dalua's curse. May he rot in the abyss!"

"It was wonderful, ma! I haven't had a good dream ever since that Lord Dalua showed up!"

"I feel like myself again," and many other such things could be heard.

Several of the zoras left their homes and joined the soldiers as they advanced on the palace, chanting, "death to Dalua!" which chant was started by the highlanders.

Once they had reached the palace however, the commanding voice of a zoran guard captain cut through the cacophony. " _Silence_!" he bellowed. "Lord Dalua has suffered a traitor's death! The king and princess are well, but they are not seeing visitors until morning!" he ordered the crowd. Now satisfied that their royals were under no harm, most of the mob dissipated and returned to their homes. A different zora guard whispered into the captain's ear. He appeared to consider something for a moment before he spoke again.

"You highlanders. The king and princess will likely wish to see you as soon as possible. Please accompany Kalier to their quarters," he commanded. The highlanders all sheathed their weapons with intrigued murmurs and followed the zora that was leading them.

The king was absent from his quarters, but the escort knew where the king was most likely to be. Once they reached the princess's suite, the elite guard stepped aside to allow them all in. Inside, they saw King Ralis and Princess Ruto embracing each other warmly, the princess still halfway in bed, and tears streaming from their eyes from joy.

"Father, look!" Ruto cried in relief as she pointed to the highlanders that had just entered. The lamps were now lit in the princess's room which allowed both parties to get a good look at each other.

King Ralis approached the highlanders, tears still in his eyes were joined by fresh ones stemming from gratitude. "A knighthood for all of you. You have brought my daughter back to me safely," he proclaimed. Many of the warriors turned to each other and nodded approvingly.

"I trust you are their chieftain, then?" Ralis asked Bruga.

"I am their laird, indeed," the large man replied. To his surprise, he found that he was being embraced by the king.

"Thank you, from the bottom of my soul," he whispered graciously. "Is your son with you?" he added once he had backed away.

Bruga shook his head. "No. Cyrus is still in Gleight," he replied bluntly.

The king appeared disappointed. "I see. But he must be well in his homeland, at least. I would have wished for him to be here. I know how he makes my Ruto happy, but I also have something to say to him…"

"Please, father. Don't be angry with him," Ruto plead. The highlanders were all taken aback at seeing the princess without any jewelry on for once. Now they saw just what beauty was beneath all of the glitter. "He was distraught. He needed some time to find himself after getting back some parts he lost when he became a mercenary," she defended.

"That is not all of what I wished to speak with him about, Ruto," the king said in dismissal. "There was something else. Yes, I did wish to chastise him for leaving unannounced as he did, but I understand his plight. No, there was something else I wished to discuss with him, and you as well, laird," he said. "I shall dispatch a courier to Gleight and-"

"We don't have time for that, father!" Ruto interrupted. With the tone of desperation in her voice, the king riveted his eyes on his daughter. "There is something of dire importance I must tell you!" Ruto said.

"It does not sound like this is something that can wait until morning," Ralis answered soberly. "What is it, my daughter?"

"It is Old Hyrule, father," Ruto began. "Some great evil has taken over the Castle Town there. Its forces are growing, and their malicious intent is clear!"

"I see…" King Ralis said. "But why is this something that you needed to tell me?"

Bruga stepped forward and began to speak. "That tide of darkness has grown to monstrous power. I am certain the highlander clans would be able to stop it, but that's only if they were united."

"Truth," Ruto concurred. "An oracle of sorts told us that our people-the zoras-would be able to tip the scales and stop this evil," she explained.

The king became pensive. "This is a grave matter indeed. Can you prove what you say? It is not as if I do not believe you, honorable laird and daughter, but I do not wish to endanger my people unless I have no other choice," he answered gravely.

One highlander lost patience and blurted, "You great lout! You should hunger for this battle! All of hyrule will fall if you don't-mmf!" he was stifled by a strong hand from Bruga who pulled the man to the door and shoved him out.

"Don't let him back in," the laird ordered the guard outside before returning to the conversation.

"Please, pardon him," Bruga apologized. "Many highlanders can be… hot blooded like that one."

"No harm done, honorable laird," the king dismissed, though he did seem slightly perturbed. "However, I still wish to know if our aid truly is required for certain."

Arah made a pained sound that gained the attention from everyone else. "You seem to need medical attention. I will send for a physician, immediately. You should have spoken earlier if you were in such pain!" the king rebuked.

"Thank you," the highlander maiden replied weakly. "But I have something to say: this… oracle, as the princess calls her is known for her truthfulness among all of the highlander clans. What she says is true, without the zoras, the war will be lost and all of hyrule, old and new may well be wiped off the map," she struggled.

Ralis lapsed into thought again. "I see…" he repeated. "But how shall we mobilize our forces? Going through the Lost Woods will not be possible and neither will a trek through the Gerudo Desert," he said to voice his hesitation.

Ruto smiled. "The oracle told us of this as well. She said that it will rain in the desert soon which will allow our people passage," she clarified.

"Very well, but how will we get our armies back here?" the king replied. Ruto and the highlanders had to admit that they were unsure. "I cannot send our people to be more or less permanently cut off from their homes, either," the king added.

"Stubborn old goat," a highlander murmured. A sharp glare from his laird silenced the man and he turned to walk from the princess's quarters in shame.

"Our people will make sure that your soldiers can return home. We'll bring them back in tubs of water pulled by oxen if we have to," Bruga declared.

"It will be done then," King Ralis said with a sigh. "I trust my forces shall be enough to aid you, especially after what Salin has taught them… where is Prakau Bluescale, by the way?" he asked.

"Back in Gleight with Cyrus," Ruto answered. Her expression turned to distraught. "Please do not execute him for desertion, father!" she plead desperately. Her sudden change of mood startled all of those present. "He only left to protect me as I went to find Cyrus again!"

The king raised his hands before him. "Do not worry, daughter. He will not face punishment. He may have left his post, but he was still doing his duty," he assured. "Although perhaps not well enough given that you only recently returned here," the king added with a wry smile. Bruga raised his eyebrows. This was the first attempt at humor he saw the king make. It seemed out-of-character for him.

"Your daughter is strong-willed, sir," Arah groaned. "I doubt the whole of the Gleight clan could stop her from doing something she had her mind set on."

"Guard! Send for a physician immediately!" King Ralis ordered loudly enough for the guards outside of the room to hear. "What ails you, lady…?" Ralis asked.

"Urgh! Arah. My name is Arah Flamemane. Kedor forced me to drink purple chu jelly," she moaned through the pain. She was doubled over on the floor now, clutching her stomach. "Tell him to hurry…"

"She needs an antidote for purple chu jelly!" Ralis called to the guard. All near the maiden jumped back when she made an agonized retching sound. The vomit was purple and more viscous than usual. Ruto tore out of her bed and held Arah's hair back while she continued to empty her stomach.

"How much did he force through you?" the princess asked in concern.

"Urghk… A whole jarful when he found out that I wouldn't tell him what he wanted to hear," Arah heaved.

"I hope the physician hurries," Ruto replied worriedly. Almost as if in response, Arah vomited again.

"It moved! It's alive!" a highlander yelped as he thrust his sword into the sick. True to his word, the gel convulsed as if in pain and then fell to be nothing more than a small purple, gelatinous puddle.

"Ugh. That's how Kedor would have gotten rid of us all. Arah would chuck up a lot of purple chus that would kill us," another highlander said observantly with disgust.

"Keep an eye on it, won't you, Alasdair?" Bruga requested to the highlander that originally attacked the vomit. He then turned his attention to King Ralis. "We honestly don't know when the rain will come over the desert, but it must be soon. We should mobilize your soldiers as soon as possible."

"I agree," the king said with a nod. "I believe it will take about a day to prepare the armies. Guard!" he called.

"The physician's on his way, milord," the guard assured. "I just sent for him-"  
"Very good," the king praised. "But I also need you to rouse the armies. The highlanders need our aid."  
"But my king…" the guard began in protest.

"All will be explained to them at assembly tomorrow morning. Now go!" he urged.

"Immediately!" the guard responded crisply as he hurried away.

For a couple of minutes, Ruto and the highlanders attended to Arah until the physician came. He was colored blue-green like most other zoras, but his eyes were blue instead of the typical green that most zoras bore. His fins were also a similar color to his eyes. He wore a white sash over his shoulder that had a few pockets full of small bottles and vials of herbs and other things he used for his art. In one hand he carried a bag full of other medical supplies.

"Thank goodness you're here!" Ruto sighed in relief as she stood aside to allow the doctor to do his work.

"It's my job after all," the physician bluntly replied as he felt for a pulse in Arah's neck. "Hmm… fairly weak," he murmured. Worry and apprehension welled up in Ruto's chest for her friend's welfare. The physician then tested the strength of Arah's breath and her temperature. "It was purple chu jelly ingestion, yes?" he asked as he rifled through his bag and took a vial out of his sash.

"Yes," Ruto answered. "Forced down her throat by that eel, Kedor," she added angrily.

"A simple 'yes' or 'no' will do when lives are on the line, princess," the doctor replied coolly. "How much did she drink?"

"A whole bottlefull-Uuaghk!" Arah moaned before vomiting again. The doctor saw that her vomit began to stir before he drove his fin into it.

"So much that it's manifesting itself in the expulsion and multiplying. That's not good…" he muttered as he pulled an empty clay cup out of his bag and mixed a few things in it.

"We won't have to go on some quest to find a rare ingredient will we?" a highlander asked despondently. The physician looked at him with a blank expression.

"What kind of physician do you take me for?" he asked directly before he resumed his concoction. After stirring the mixture, the doctor smiled in satisfaction. "Drink this and brace yourself," he said, handing the cup to Arah who gulped down the potion desperately. Within a few seconds she felt her stomach heave more violently than it had yet, then she vomited with a force and volume that she felt that she never had.

"Kill it!" Bruga roared when the sick began to manifest itself as a purple chu. Several highlanders rushed on the beast.

"Are you alright Arah?" Ruto asked, kneeling on the ground with a hand on the maiden's back. Arah gasped a few times. "Y-yes," she said hesitantly. "Thank you," she sighed.

"It is only my duty," the physician repeated as he readjusted his sash. "Will that be all, milord?" he asked the king.

"I'm sorry, but it seems as if many of these highlanders are wounded. Would you see to them?" the king requested.

"As you wish, milord," the physician replied as he gestured for the highlanders that bore wounds from the gerudos or the darknut to follow him to his office.

 **"** **We should get ready to depart," Ruto ordered. The remaining highlanders promptly left the princess's quarters, but the princess herself was restrained by a hand from her father.**


	16. Chapter 16

"Are you certain this will work?" Salin asked skeptically as he looked over the map splayed out on the table. He was inside the command tent of Laird Callum Mhic Galhedda, along with Cyrus, Yastur, and several other lairds and those they chose to attend the war meeting.

"It's the best we have," Laird Callum admitted.

The laird of Galhedda was tall, muscular, and red-haired like most other highlanders. His hair was a particularly bright shade of orange and was close cut. He was clean shaven with dull-colored brownish green eyes. His jaw was square and naturally was set in determination.

"There really shouldn't be much of a problem if you can hold up your end of this plan, lairds-heir," Lairdess Dilirha Mhic Lodhai shot to Cyrus critically. The lairdess of Lodhai was known for her hard demeanor; she had been such ever since her sons and husband had died, leaving her on the throne of her clan and her daughter to succeed her.

"The zoras will not fail us," Cyrus defended. "We just need to make sure that this flank is clear here, so they can actually make it up unobstructed," he indicated a point on the map.

"Leave thah' tae us!" Laird Dirano Mhic Yas'har chimed enthusiastically. The Yas'har clan was one of the smaller clans, and the duty of defending the south flank would be perfectly suited for them, even with how critical it was to the assault. "We'll be routin' any _dekhod_ sohked demon thah seh's hes fuut near as!" he proclaimed steadfastly. There were few members of the Yas'har clan that spoke hylian, and as such they all bore very thick accents.

"Good," Laird Callum said in satisfaction. "Then if everyone has a sound enough understanding of our battle plan we'll dismiss and take it to our soldiers," he concluded, leaving the tent.

Salin trailed behind and motioned for Cyrus to join him. "This seems like a very bold plan Laird Callum is proposing. Even when the zoras arrive, are we sure that we'll have the strength to defeat the demons in their stronghold?" the zora asked, voicing his earlier concerns once again.

"The highlanders fight like dragons when in battle. You'll be amazed to see it," Cyrus replied confidently.

"Not from what I've seen during our training," the zora murmured.

Cyrus looked back at his friend. "We fight well, but just in a different fashion than what you see in hyrule," he replied coolly. "You will see," he assured again.

As the highlanders were preparing themselves, Cyrus periodically looked toward the east and the desert to see if the promised storm clouds were gathering there. "Still no sign of a storm…" the lairds-heir would repeat in increasing despair.

"Will you relax?" Salin bit impatiently when he heard Cyrus say this one time too many. "The battle isn't even planned for another few days, we can wait that long!" As brusque as it was, the comment seemed to silence the lairds-heir, although he could still be seen to make quick glances toward the desert.

As the day passed, the highlanders and Salin spent most of their time drilling, speaking with one another, planning the battle, and making other preparations. The zora began to take greater notice of his friend. In the midst of the preparation, Cyrus appeared to become more nervous and impatient. Salin rightly assumed it was because the lairds-heir had so much responsibility heaped upon him in so short a span of time in addition to the continued absence of the zoras. He could see the anger that was welling up as Cyrus viciously attacked a training dummy.

To Cyrus's surprise, he found one of his swordstrokes interrupted by the haft of Salin's weapon. The zora was standing off to the side with a mischievous glint to his emerald green eyes. Though his friend had been in a poor humor, he knew a quick spar would help the laird's-heir's mood improve. The highlander gave a look as if to say, "is that a challenge?" then spun around with his sword ready to land a strike on the zora. Salin was able to anticipate the blow and ducked under it while simultaneously sweeping the polearm under Cyrus's feet to trip him.

The lairds-heir fell to the ground heavily. "You are very out of shape," Salin said in reprimand as he pointed the tip of his weapon upon Cyrus's throat.

"You underestimate me!" the lairds-heir shot back. He arced his sword over his head and battered the polearm aside. Just as he leapt to his feet, Salin had his weapon ready once again.

The pair attacked and parried for a few moments before Cyrus grabbed Salin's pole. "Not fair!" the zora protested. Rather than respond to the banter, the lairds-heir kicked the zora off the pole. Salin was stunned but quickly recovered and readied his sharp fins. Cyrus dropped his friend's polearm and kicked it away and positioned himself between the zora and the weapon. He banged his sword upon his shield to goad Salin, but without his strongest armament, the zora was not willing to take such a risk.

"Well? I haen't got all day!" Cyrus baited.

"Yes you do! You're a prince, you have all the time in the world for whatever the _dilak_ you want!" Salin called back.

"That's not true and you know-Yaugh!" Cyrus yelped as Salin charged him. The highlander raised his shield in time to block Salin's fins, but he couldn't easily compensate for the full weight of the armored zora barrelling into him. The highlander was knocked to the ground while Salin did a handspring off of his shield and broke his fall with a roll toward his polearm. He quickly grabbed the weapon and spun the butt end around to jab it into Cyrus's stomach.

"Oof! Impressive," Cyrus grunted, winded. "I knew Ruto could do that but…" he paused to wheeze. "I didn't think you could."

"Neither did I!" the zora answered with a laugh before reentering the fray. He expected an easy advantage over the out-of-breath lairds-heir. He was disappointed, however, when Cyrus shield-bashed Salin's weapon away and lunged with his sword. The hit proved true and Salin stepped back with a groan with a fresh scratch in his armor.

"I guess you win this one," the zora conceded.

Cyrus nodded with a smile as he panted for breath and sheathed his sword. Just now with their attention free, they noticed a large group of warriors had gathered around. They were cheering and whistling in applause. "Good fightin' lairds-heir!" one could be heard to say.

"Thah' fishman's goh' mar skill'n I'd seen in a while!" another praised.

Salin made a mock play actor's bow for the group, which encouraged a laugh. "Feeling better?" the zora asked his friend.

"Yes," Cyrus nodded. "Thanks."

A call rent the air of the camp. Orderes were being bellowed out in trilby and soldiers were scurrying everywhere. "What are they saying?" Salin asked in concern.

"Surprise attack from the northeast!" Cyrus replied seriously. "Get to the front, I still need to put my armor on. I'll meet you there. Move!" he ordered. Salin gave a curt nod and hurried off to join the defence.

From what little trilby Salin knew, he could tell that it was a large assault. He shoved his way through milling highlanders to get to the front. When he arrived, his fears were confirmed. A large force of bokoblins and moblins were charging toward the war camp. What really took him aback, however, as well as the other highlanders was the presence of certain trilby clans' banners among the attackers.

Jeers and insults rang out from among the highlanders against those they deemed traitors. "Ruha take you!" Salin joined in. Then, to his surprise and without warning, the highlander force rushed on the demons and opposing clans. "Hold your ground!" he roared in order but to no avail. Snarling in frustration he joined the charge. "Now I know how my employers felt," he grumbled, remembering his own flagrant disobedience.

Approaching the opposing force, Salin met with a knot of enemy highlanders. They appeared to be more wild than those on his side, with more bedraggled hair and beards as well as fearsome war paint that looked to be made of blood. The zora cried in challenge to the enemy clansmen who turned to look at him with vicious glee before bearing down on him.

Knowing the rash nature of the hylians of the Trilby Highlands, Salin swung his polearm in a devastating arc that felled four warriors that heedlessly charged at him. The others faltered long enough to avoid the lethal blade before they took the opening that he left. The fastest among them met the zora's sharp fin while another was kicked squarely in the fork.

"Dishonorable!" he choked.

Once Salin finished with a bokoblin that had joined the fray he retorted, "We have a saying where I'm from: 'All's fair in love and war.'" He then kicked the man in the head and sent him on his back. "And aren't you the dishonorable one for joining a force of demons?" he spat before finishing his enemy.

While he had been occupied with this highlander, a moblin charged him. Unable to react in time, the zora was knocked down, trampled, and dragged for several feet. With a groan he looked up at the moblin who had turned again with intent to finish him. To his relief, a highlander leaped at the moblin and secured himself around its neck. Two others rushed in and began to stab the beast repeatedly until it fell. Salin rose back up with a cheer of thanks to the allied warriors.

As the fight wore on, Salin's continued orders were ignored, no matter how loud he made them. "I need a laird," he growled as he felled a moblin with a well-placed thrust to its heart. "Callum!" he called out when he saw him. He whipped around to face the zora, animalian battle-rage filling his eyes. "Tell the lighter armed soldiers to focus on the bokoblins and the heavier soldiers to go after the moblins!" he called. Callum either did not hear or he did not understand the order order and resumed fighting.

Irritated at the lack of attention he was given, Salin simply dedicated himself to fighting as well as he could, not relying on any others. While he waded through a good deal more fighting, Salin saw an iron knuckle in front of him, swinging his heavy mace in challenge. The zora groaned internally due to his lack of stamina from his earlier encounters.

The iron knuckle readied his shield in front of him. Salin braced himself and prepared to engage. He knew that this fight would be difficult; an iron knuckle was more susceptible to nimble opponents that could jump around to their backs to strike effective blows. Salin's polearm was not the fast weapon to do this with. The tired zora considered how he would be able to do so in such a winded state.

Making an attempt, Salin approached within reach of his enemy's mace. The iron knuckle made a mighty swing which the zora anticipated and crouched to avoid. At the same time he tried to make a sweep at the enemy's legs, a bokoblin came behind him and struck his head with his club.

Dazed but still coherent, Salin reflexively jabbed the polearm backwards. It encountered resistance and he heard the bokoblin behind him scream in pain. He whipped around and finished the beast and faced the iron knuckle again with the same motion. To his disappointment, the monster had been unaffected by his leg attack.

This time the iron knuckle advanced, wildly swinging his mace about. Salin readied himself for the attack that would allow him the opening he needed. The mace swung in its predicted path and Salin hopped to the side. Though he was only standing on the iron knuckle's left side, he swung his polearm in such a way that it would wound the enemy in the back. Unfortunately for the zora, the strike did not land as intended and only left a dent in his enemy's armor. Howling in rage, the iron knuckle made another swing and knocked the zora away.

Salin looked up with a moan as the beast came forward to finish him. As he braced himself for the void, he saw his enemy widen his glowing red eyes in pained surprise and whip around. Seeing his opportunity, Salin plunged his polearm deep into the iron knuckle's back and killed it. When it collapsed, he saw Cyrus standing across from him, dressed in his full plate battle armor.

"Slowpoke," Salin jested gratefully before re-entering the fray.

"I got here as fast as I could!" Cyrus protested. "Several others came as well," he added, stabbing a red bokoblin through the chest several times before it fell.

"Do you think you can get these berserkers to listen to orders?" the zora cried over the din of combat. "We're losing many because of how disorganized they are!" Cyrus took a moment of respite to see what his friend was talking about. Knowing that Salin was in the right, Cyrus called out the same order to the highlanders that the zora had issued earlier. To Salin's surprise, many of them obeyed; more lightly armored warriors began to engage weaker enemies while the more powerful ones attacked moblins, darknuts, and iron knuckles. The lairds-heir even ordered several lighter soldiers to aid in attacking the darknuts and iron knuckles to take advantage of their slow movement.

Given some time, the assault was defeated. In typical fashion of the foul beings of hyrule, they did not retreat but rather fought to the last man. "Rot in the underworld," Cyrus growled through his teeth at a group of dead bokoblins as he cleaned off his sword.

"Now do you see what I was trying to tell you earlier?" Salin snapped. "These highlanders don't take orders on the battlefield and they simply don't fight in an organized unit!" The zora's voice was beginning to rise in frustration. "I've lost count of how many of our men we have strewn dead everywhere. If they would fight as a _telschad_ organized force, we would have lost a tenth of what we have, Cyrus. _A tenth!_ " he continued.

Had Salin come to Cyrus with these accusations only a day earlier, the latter would have reacted sourly. Now, however, when he saw the fulfilment of his friend's warnings, the lairds-heir was somber. "You were right," Cyrus admitted. "You were right."

Salin sighed and looked seriously at the other. "I'm sorry to sound so pessimistic. We might be able to conquer by numbers alone here," he apologized.

Cyrus returned the zora's gaze and then ground his teeth. "By Eulia, we'll conquer," he blustered. "Even with our disorganization we're more than a match for these _larrachs_. The highlander fighting spirit will bring victory," the lairds-heir vowed.

"There's your warrior's enthusiasm," Salin pointed out with a wry smile. "But I'm not so sure the highlanders can help us alone, especially after seeing this. We still have the rest of the zoras to wait for. Remember the Wanderer's prophecy?"

Cyrus nodded. "Half of the battle is the right attitude," he quoted. "I believe you said that right before you broke orders," he said with a grin.

"But it's true!" Salin protested. "But there's still the other half to look toward," he added. After some silence the zora spoke again. "We do have a few days before the zoras should arrive here, I'd assume, since there are no clouds over the desert quite yet. Do you think we could somehow train the other clans with our new tactics? Gleight seemed to use them pretty well," he suggested optimistically.

"That's a good idea," Cyrus replied before turning on his heel and heading back toward the camp with Salin trotting behind. "Laird Callum!" Cyrus called out. "You. Where is he?" he asked a warrior with Galhedda's crest on his shield. The warrior looked at him in confusion. Cyrus rolled his eyes in self-rebuke and repeated the question in trilby. The warrior's eyes darkened and he looked at the ground in a solemn expression. He pointed toward a tent a few yards away before beginning to sharpen his blade, uttering a curse each stroke of the whetstone.

"What did he say?" Salin asked worriedly. Cyrus only would shake his head in response until they reached the tent.

"Cyrus MhicGleight!" the lairds-heir barked when they reached a spacious white and blue striped tent. Understanding came to the zora when he heard pained moaning coming from inside.

To confirm Salin's assumption, beds lined the inside of the tent occupied by men covered by light, bloodstained sheets. A flustered apothecary was bustling about from warrior to warrior, yapping orders to druids and other physicians. A woman of average height and slender build with bouncing orange curls, the apothecary's face was flushed in anxiety. "Lairds-heir," she greeted, straightening her purple pointed cap and smoothing her similarly colored robe. "Make it fast, lad, these men are dying," she ordered bluntly.

"Laird Cullum?" Cyrus requested. The head apothecary pointed to three beds away from where the group was standing before hurrying off to tend to the wounded. The lairds-heir nodded curtly and headed directly there. As shown, Laird Callum Mhic Galhedda lay under a blood-stained sheet with a bandage over his head, softly groaning in pain. The determined features were driven from his face and they were replaced with contorted agony.

The only movement the laird could manage to make to face Cyrus was to roll his head in the other's direction. Cyrus gave a bow to him before speaking. "Will you heal, laird?" he asked in concern.

Laird Callum's eyes shone dully, signifying that he was barely conscious, but they hardened at the lairds-heir's question. "You leave your clan to ask me if I will heal? Leave now," he ordered weakly. "See to the men your first loyalty is to."

"We can see your suffering so we'll make this brief," Salin cut in. Harsh looks came from both laird and lairds-heir for speaking so abruptly and out of turn. "We want to do what we can to install a training regimen for our soldiers," he asked boldly. "We've lost too many good men in this raid because the highlanders fight like a disorganized rabble."

"They," Laird Callum grunted in pain as he attempted to sit up. A firm hand from a nearby nurse pressed him back down. "Are fine. They don't need to change their style just to fit you, fish-man," he growled curtly.

"I concur with him, laird," Cyrus added. The wounded man looked at the prince in surprise. "Should our men be trained to fight more as a unit, we would be much stronger. We're not suggesting we change our methods entirely, but to amend them. My own clan has adopted these techniques well, if you saw them," he explained.

Laird Callum closed his eyes and sighed deeply in exasperation. "And you need my permission since I head this army? Denied. We can't afford to relearn how to make war. Now leave me," he ordered.

"Recover soon, laird," Cyrus bid farewell in trilby with a bow before clanking away.

"Completely different person when he's wounded, isn't he?" Salin asked when they left the hospital tent.

Cyrus's response was a grave nod. "I fear that his stubbornness may cost us."

Salin huffed. "I doubt it will make much of a difference. You changed your thoughts on the matter," he dismissed. "Besides, it's not as if a wounded man is going to stop me from training up a few soldiers," he added with a wicked grin.

"Salin," Cyrus said in reprimand. "You don't disobey the orders of a laird."

"Or a nobleman, or a prince, or the king, or my aunt Arlaihe," Salin retorted with an eye roll. "He'll thank me for this, if he lives," he concluded confidently before heading toward a large group of warriors. Cyrus shook his head and duly followed. Once the zora had decided on his course of action there was little chance to sway him from it.

"Alright you green-gills!" he roared to the soldiers. A few started and looked at him in surprise of his audacity, but most did nothing. "I have leave from the Laird Galhedda to make sure you don't repeat that disgrace of a defense!"

Cyrus widened his eyes when all of the soldiers stood up with anger etched in their faces as they approached the zora. Hadn't he told Salin that you _never_ insult the successful battle performance of a highlander, no matter how costly the victory?

"Ya spurn Eulia, fishy?" the highlander growled threateningly. To the trilby, insulting a victory the way Salin did was an offense to the goddess of victory.

The zora drove a fist into the highlander's face. "You call me 'Prakau,' you got that?!" the zora roared at the warrior as he recoiled.

"I'll call ya 'mincemeat' for that one," the warrior returned, wiping the blood from his nose. The other soldiers formed a ring around the zora to block any hope of escape on his part. Salin bravely stood his ground and stared down a few inches with a steel gaze into the eyes of the other. "Where did I see you on the battlefield, by the way? Cowering behind Gleight's swords?"

Salin leered at the other. "Trying to put some order into the battlefield," he growled dangerously. "And you forgot the title," he added. The zora was wont to make such a display of audacity because of his mercenary career. In the camps one had to show unwavering determination in the face of any foe, even if it was a group disgruntled mercenaries that wanted to knock his teeth out.

"Honorless dog," the highlander hissed. Salin threw another punch at him. This time the warrior intercepted the blow and threw the zora back into the warriors behind him. These soldiers held him back while the first approached while cracking his knuckles.

"Wanton swine!" Salin shot back. "You'll take a whipping to teach you some manners!"

"Look at the fishy. Thinks he can order me," the warrior said in condescension. Salin spat on the ground and then leveraged his weight up and kicked the warrior with both feet before throwing off the two holding him. The other warriors were sent reeling or tumbling back. Salin stood firm with his fists ready.

Before any further blows could be landed Cyrus darted into the ring of men. "Stop, all of you!" he shouted. "Do not condemn this man because he does not know our ways! His idea will bring us greater victory," he explained desperately. "We can't afford to fight one another while a united enemy is poised to come crashing down on us!"

"I implore you, hearken to Prakau Salin Bluescale," the lairds-heir continued. "Gleight lost few men, what we know can aid you!"

The other warriors looked darkly at the two friends as they arose. "I, a man of Lodhai, won't respond to Gleight's lairds-heir," one said defiantly.

Cyrus turned to face the speaker. "You responded to my embassy, didn't you?" the prince bit. "You agreed to stand firm against the darkness that overshadows our land, why not take what is being given to you to help you do just that?"

The other warriors broke into laughter. "Lairds-heir, this is no different than other wars we've had. This 'darkness' is nothing but a few clans that have backing from bokoblins now. We're fine the way we are."

It was Cyrus's turn to ram a fist into the warrior's face. "Thick-headed, stubborn fool!" the lairds-heir roared, giving into his violent highlander temper. "They'll etch that one on your tombstone! This is more than a war between clans, this is a war where the trilby have a chance to keep demons from overrunning old Hyrule and the Land Across the Desert. The clans you see are not in the lead, they were duped by whoever is leading our enemies and they are his mere tools now," he elaborated irritably.

The warrior wiped away the blood running from his nose again and glowered at the lairds-heir. "You… are not… my laird," he said slowly with his teeth in his words. "I will not obey your orders. My loyalty does not lie with you, it lies with my clan and with Laird Callum."

"Did you not hear me?" Salin interrupted testily. "Laird Callum gave me leave to institute this training regimen. Honestly, how petty can you be to refuse something that will improve your skills?"

"I won't until I hear it from his own mouth," the other highlander denied. Salin spat again. "Fine, if you won't then we'll find someone else that will. They can help bury you after the fighting is over," he growled attempting to shove his way out of the ring of Lodhai clansmen.

"You're not going anywhere until you pay for your insult to our victory," the warrior said.

"Move," Salin ordered dolefully. Cyrus knew what was about to happen and grabbed the warrior's shoulder.

"We'll just act like this didn't hap-" he attempted, but a punch to his head that knocked his helmet askew interrupted him.

"Have it your way, then," the lairds-heir said before giving himself to the fighting. Eventually some other passing clansmen noticed the brawl and once they saw which clans were involved, they found such a fight irresistible. Thus the fistfight continued to build. After only a few minutes, several highlanders lay on the ground with broken noses or jaws, many of those were unconscious entirely. The fighting continued until a cry rent the air. The cry seemed to come from the ground and the air itself.

The voice flowed from the ground below them and coalesced into a point near the rabble. Though most of the mob could not see it, they knew immediately that the voice belonged to the Wanderer, a voice that every highlander instinctively knew.

"They fight, the children fight," she began in her typical poetic speech. Every highlander present began to turn their face down in shame as a child scolded by its mother would while at the same time turning to face her. "One strikes another over who owns the toy," her voice continued, powerful and wild. As always, she spoke in song which gave much more emotion to her words. "While they do, their home burns down. But while they fought, the pot spilled and the flame caught."

"Forgive us, o Wanderer," the Lodhai clansman apologized with a deep bow. Many other highlanders fell to their knees as well, Cyrus included. Though the Wanderer had no part of the zoran mythos, Salin could not help fall as well in profound reverence. The Wanderer's face softened slightly in satisfaction, but her expression was still hard in reprimand. Her song became more gentle now. "They have hope, if they listen to the wisdom of one from far away. The folk of fin, their hands webbed and blue shall uphold Galhedda's band. Keep the light burning. Keep the light burning," she concluded before dancing away. After only a moment she disappeared with the summer breeze that brought her.

"Alright, you heard her!" Salin called out abruptly, rising from his bow. "You might know how to skewer a few of these beasts, but I'll teach you how to eat 'em for breakfast! Fall into ranks now. _Move!_ " the zora ordered. Hastily and now all too eager to follow Salin's word that now had the Wanderer's blessing, they all arose and arranged themselves into crude ranks, each clan with a different number in each row, many rows uneven.

 **Cyrus rose and stood beside his friend with a grin. "I may not have been any help in Zora's Domain, but this time I really can help you," he said.**


	17. Chapter 17

"What do we do now?" Cyrus wondered aloud, wiping himself down with a rag after another session of drilling. It had been a few days since the enemy raid and Laird Callum had still not recovered. Even worse, the day that the highlanders had planned for their attack on the defiled Old Castle Town was drawing near. "I can only assume that the lairds are going to be squabbling one with another to determine who will lead the attack which will lead to a lot of infighting," he assumed pessimistically.

"Even after what the Wanderer said?" Salin pointed out. He dumped a bucket full of water on himself before Cyrus could answer.

"Her advice was heeded, yes," the lairds-heir replied. "But she'll need to come back again to keep fights from breaking out over this one."

Salin shrugged and tossed the bucket away. "We could ask Laird Callum," he suggested. The zora pulled off his helmet and tugged at his head fins in an attempt to get the numbness out of them that he always felt when wearing headgear.

Cyrus stared at his friend with shock on his face. "Salin… did you just suggest that we consult with an authority figure?" he asked wide-eyed.

Salin rolled his eyes. "Ach, Cyrus, I don't think I'm the wanton mercenary you knew me as anymore," he replied with his head shaking.

"No, you still are," Cyrus dismissed flatly.

"Oh? What makes you say that?" Salin asked skeptically, retrieving the bucket and taking a seat on it. Without saying a word, or even changing his facial expression, Cyrus kicked the bucket away and caused the zora to land hard on the ground. "Ouch! What was that for?" he yowled and glared at the lairds-heir.

"Hm, maybe you're not," Cyrus said with a grin. "Before you would have gotten up and punched me, or at least put the bucket over my head and pushed me over." The zora's expression softened but he still looked at the lairds-heir incredulously.

"We might as well do that, though. _Not that, Salin!_ " the lairds-heir barked when his friend reached for the bucket.

Salin gave the lairds-heir an innocent puppy-eyed look. "Why, whatever would you be talking about, O prince?" he asked with shock.

"You know very well what," Cyrus growled as he headed for the hospital tent. "Now I don't know if you've lost your inner mercenary, you goof-off," he muttered.

There were fewer people occupying the beds now, and the bloodstains had been washed out of most of the blankets. Those missing were determined to be in good health, by highlander standards at least, so long as they didn't pick at their wounds. "Laird Callum?" Cyrus requested. The apothecary didn't even look up from the potion she was preparing when she gestured toward the laird.

"How fares your recovery, laird?" Cyrus asked out of genuine concern. The laird of Galhedda still bore several combat wounds, but the bandage was gone from his head at least. His broken ribs still did not allow him to sit comfortably.

"I shall recover soon," he declared simply. "What brings you here?" His mood had also improved over the recent days as his wounds healed.

"You may well know, laird, that the day we had set to siege the castle is very near," Salin began.

The laird cut him off with a raised hand. "You both have a great deal of nerve to come and speak with me after disobeying my direct orders," he pointed out. His expression was not hard, but there was a glimmer of disappointment in the other's eyes.

"The Wanderer seemed to approve, at least by implication," the zora returned bluntly. "You know highlanders aren't ones to disobey her."

"What have you come here for?" the laird asked directly.

Cyrus was the one to reply to this question. "You are in no condition to lead the assault, laird," came the frank answer.

"I will be leading the assault," Laird Callum insisted.

The apothecary hurried over with a red-colored potion she pressed into the Galheddaman's hand. "No, you won't," she declared emphatically. When Callum was about to protest, she interrupted him. "You certainly are in no condition to go to combat. And don't try to order me about because you're a laird. I'm of Dranhubuli, firstly, and secondly, my word overturns yours in the realm of healing. You won't be leaving this bed until your ribs heal now _lie down!"_ she ordered firmly as the laird struggled to rise.

"As I was saying, Laird Callum," Cyrus resumed. "You are in no condition to lead our forces against the demons. We came to ask you who you would have lead us."

"And I suppose you wish to lead them, Gleightman?" Callum demanded. He winced as a jolt of pain shot through his ribs.

Cyrus shook his head vigorously. Salin answered the accusation on behalf of his friend with a snicker. "Cyrus is not a tactician and he knows it. We wonder who _you_ wish to lead the assault?" The lairds-heir shot a glare at the zora.

Callum appeared to be deep in thought. "If not yourself, then who do you recommend?" he asked the two. "Preferably someone with command experience that you know that you can trust. Better yet, someone who truly knows what this war is for and won't favor certain clans," he suggested.

It didn't take long before someone came to Cyrus's mind. He turned at looked at Salin. "Cyrus, you don't mean…" the zora gasped.

"Aye, you'd be perfect!" Cyrus crowed. "The disputes between the clans are completely irrelevant to you, you've already commanded soldiers in battle before…"  
"Yes, but only small mercenary skirmishes and in drills and training. You can't honestly think…" the zora interrupted, yet Cyrus spoke over him.

"You know very well the reforms we've made to the army, _and_ you've got the attitude of a leader. Salin, you'd be perfect!" the lairds-heir proclaimed. Salin returned only a blank stare.

Callum seemed satisfied with Cyrus's glowing review of his friend. "Your friend does indeed seem to be very well qualified. It shall be so. You will lead the clans into battle," the laird decreed. "Eulia fight by your side, sir…?"

Salin cleared his throat. "I'm… honored, laird," he replied, baffled. "My name is Prakau Salin Bluescale."

"Very good, sir prakau. I wish you the best. I lament that I won't be able to fight with you," Callum said wistfully.

"I as well, laird. By the way, 'prakau' is a title," Salin corrected. He bowed respectfully to the laird before departing the tent.

"Salin, wait. Don't you need to know…" Cyrus trailed. His friend had already left and he could be heard outside barking orders already.

"He runs a tight ship," Cyrus explained to Laird Callum before excusing himself. The laird stared after Cyrus with a flabbergasted expression for as long as he could see the lairds-heir. Now left alone with no company other than a constantly flustered and preoccupied apothecary and moaning wounded soldiers, he drank his red potion in resignation. He sighed contentedly as the concoction did its work. He could feel pain leaving his body with the wave of potion that passed down his esophagus. The potion may have abated the pain, but his injuries were still present and he would need to simply wait for his ribs to heal.

Outside, Cyrus was greeted by the sight of highlanders lined up according to ranks, now each clan following the uniform standard introduced by the zora and the former mercenary. "Salin, didn't you want to know what Laird Callum had planned? It might be a good start…" the lairds-heir ventured.

Salin turned to his friend with an imperiled look in his eyes. "I'll do fine!" he retorted, sounding much louder and more angry than he wanted to. "Sorry, Cyrus," the zora retracted. "I just feel like I've well, been given command over a massive army," he apologized. The lairds-heir broke a grin. "How appropriate," he said.

"I… can you get the lairds together?" Salin requested. "Have them meet at the command tent in an hour, I want to… er… review our strategy."

"Of course," Cyrus replied with a nod before he headed off.

The zora turned to look again at the assembled clans who were eager to receive their orders. _Show fear to no one,_ he quoted internally. _Either they will think you're a seasoned veteran or they'll think you're insane. Either way, they'll leave you alone._ The mercenary adage was more applicable to combat, but he still found it comforting in this situation.

The assembled forces were waiting for the rest to gather. Salin caught one of the highlanders fidgeting out of the corner of his vision and he sidled up to him with a dangerous expression in his eyes. "Soldier, did you just flinch?" he demanded harshly.

"Yes, Prakau!" the highlander replied stoically. Salin's expression hardened and he made to slap the man, but he raised his shield and intercepted the blow. "Good reflexes. What's your clan?" the zora asked. A degree of relief and confusion were in the soldier's eyes. "Clan Oliach, prakau!" he announced loudly. Salin nodded and made another attempt to strike the soldier, but again the blow was repelled.

"How is it that you anticipate these blows?" he asked.

The highlander made no eye contact and continued to stare straight ahead. "Our laird tells us to expect an attack from anywhere, at any time, from anyone, prakau," he replied.

"Interesting mantra," Salin acknowledged. He attempted three more blows, and each was parried. "Now drop and give me thirty. Hm… minus fifteen for your reflex," he ordered. As the order was being carried out, a few more of the soldiers had filed in and a thought came to the zora's mind.

"A representative from each clan! Now!" he cried in order. Several highlanders duly trotted to stand in line before the zoran general. He surveyed them each with a critical eye. "You. What's your clan?" he asked abruptly to one of them.

"Clan Gleight. Do you recognize me?" the soldier replied.

Salin ran through his memories of the last few days to try and recall this man that stood before him. "That I do, Narhhas," the zora eventually replied. "Tell me, what is a Gleightman's focus in combat?" he asked.

"Prakau?"

"Clan Oliach seems to prepare themselves for imminent attack at all times. What is Gleight's strategy?"

Narhhas shrugged before replying. "A large force is crushed when it's divided. We often will drive wedges into an enemy's lines and cut off the knots of foes that form," he explained.

"Pay heed, all of you! What you learn from each clan today will help you in the battle to come!" Salin called to all of the soldiers assembled. He turned again to Narhhas. "Thank you, soldier. Now drop and give me thirty," he ordered flatly.

"Salin!" Narhhas cried in disbelief.

"Forty!" Salin snarled. "For not keeping your eyes forward, for breaking stance, _and_ for not addressing me by rank. Discipline, Gleightman!" he explained harshly. "Where is that gerudo? We could use her input as well!" he ordered. "Who here has seen her?" he demanded, loudly enough for all the soldiers to hear. They all remained stonefaced and staring straight ahead. "A tanned woman in purple isn't that hard to miss among an army of pale-faced fur-wearers! _Where is she?!_ " he added heatedly.

Ultimately, it was Cyrus who found the gerudo. As he walked through Clan Danyi's section of camp, a female voice called to him from the side. "Cyrus!" she hissed. He looked toward the tent and the stack of supplies resting beside it, but he saw no one. She called out again, but he still was not able to locate her. Once he had drawn close enough, the lid flew off of one of the barrels and Saru the gerudo leaped out of it.

Out of reflex, the lairds-heir jumped back as far as his plate armor would allow and drew his sword. He sheathed it almost instantaneously when he saw it was the beautiful face of the gerudo. "Saru, what were you doing in there?" he asked directly. He would be civil to her because of Eulia's apparent favor in her, even though the deep-seated prejudices of highlanders toward gerudos still ran through him. As such, it was a great deal of shock to him when the woman embraced him very tightly in thanks, and almost as if she were seeking protection from something.

"Thank goodness you came!" she cried. "You wouldn't believe the threats that these torch-heads have been throwing at me! I was afraid for my life!" she gibbered. The words flowed out of her mouth almost too quickly for Cyrus to understand them.

He pried her loose and held her at arm's length. "Saru! Calm yourself!" he ordered. She ceased her appeals and recitation and was panting to calm herself.

"Stay among Gleight, lass, they know your honor," he began, but ended on a suspicious note when he saw a dagger of highlander design tucked into her belt. "Where did you get that?" he asked tersely.

Her expression soured. "I went to _your quartermaster,_ " she explained. "When I asked him for armament he only laughed at me and gave me this!" she spat disdainfully.

Cyrus had to keep himself from breaking a grin. "I'll speak with him. Where's your pike?" he asked.

Saru turned to be outright angry now. "I don't know!" she replied testily. "I woke up one night and found it removed from its place! For all I know someone threw it in the river!"

"Stealing from other soldiers cannot go unpunished," Cyrus assured, he himself angry now. "I'll find out who did this, and I'll make sure you get yourself decently outfitted. Your tactic of wearing revealing clothing to distract your enemies may work against hylians and trilbies, but it won't work against demons," he stated with a mocking smile. The other's tanned face flushed with indignation and she looked at the lairds-heir in revulsion over his blunt comment, but she still followed him as he went deeper into the camp.

"Where are you going? Isn't Gleight's camp that way?" Saru asked, pointing the opposite direction.

"Aye, lass," Cyrus replied simply. "But I need to assemble the lairds for a council of war. You'd best head back to Gleight's camp," he suggested. Even after the offensive comment on her apparel, however, Saru fixed her eyes desperately on the lairds-heir as if he could protect her.

"Fine," he conceded in exasperation. "But you only speak when spoken to when we see the lairds. Am I clear?" he asked gravely. Saru nodded emphatically, bobbing her scarlet ponytail and followed the lairds-heir closely, frequently looking behind herself.

Saru was relieved when they were finally heading back towards Gleight's camp. She was becoming very frustrated with listening to Cyrus assure the lairds they visited that she was not a threat, but in fact an ally. The suspicious Lairdess Lodhai was especially difficult to convince.

"Now to that quartermaster," Cyrus growled when they reached Gleight's armory tent. Weapon racks laden with armaments of all kinds were arranged everywhere here with only a trace of organization. "Cholla!" the lairds-heir barked. A stout figure wearing chainmail sauntered up to the lairds-heir, his beady eyes darting toward the gerudo. "What can I do for ya, lairds-heir?" he solicited. To his great surprise, he was being lifted up by his hauberk and held at eye level by a very angry-looking Cyrus.

"Do you see this gerudo here?" he growled viciously.

"A-aye, lairds-heir," Cholla struggled.

"She tells me that she came here requesting armaments and you turned her away shamefully. Is this true?"

"N-no! It's not!" the quartermaster stammered. He was still trying to free himself from Cyrus's iron grip to no avail.

"She bears only a dagger when she requested a full outfit," the lairds-heir continued, ignoring the quartermaster's defense. Saru nodded gravely and fixed her gaze on quartermaster Cholla.

"She stole it! She's a desert rat and a thief!" Cholla protested. This statement caused Cyrus's eyes to glide back and forth from the man he had hefted to his face and the gerudo.

She looked at him in shock. "I don't have any reason to lie!" she defended. "And if I were to steal a weapon, I assure you I would steal something better than this leever tooth! I could steal one of these warhammers unnoticed!" she added for example.

"O'course you could!" Cholla shot back. "But you just took that dagger to make that argument and implicate me! Just what do you want?!" he demanded.

"Decent armaments!" Saru replied in disgust.

Cholla scoffed then looked pleadingly at the lairds-heir, his piggish eyes showing a pitiful expression. "Trust one of your own clansmen, laird. She's a thief and she's trying to manipulate you. She oughtta go to the stocks-"

"Quiet!" Cyrus barked, letting the quartermaster fall to the ground in a heap. "Eulia has found her heart right. As long as she remains in the highlands she is considered a member of the Gleight clan. If I found out that any theft _has_ been perpetrated here, she will be dealt with in due course," he said authoritatively. "For now, you give her what any other Gleightman would receive for this war. Do I make myself clear?"

"But Cyrus-" Cholla whimpered pitifully.

" _Am I clear?_ " the lairds-heir roared at the quivering man. He nodded woodenly and gestured for Saru to find what she needed. As she busied herself picking out her weapons and armor, Cyrus leaned in close to the quartermaster once again. "False accusations are frowned upon as well, Cholla," he growled quietly. "But I want you to keep _very_ careful track of what you have here. If any of it goes missing we'll find out where it went," he ordered, obviously in suspicion of the gerudo.

"You have some good steel, here," Saru eventually complimented when she joined the two men once more. She had found a light chainmail shirt and plate greaves and strapped them on over her normal clothing. She had gauntlets on her forearms. At her sides she had two cutlasses. Cyrus admitted that she looked like a professional soldier when she was so armed.

"Only one sword per soldier, gerudo!" the quartermaster hissed. "Can you expect a man to fight with two shields when the sword he would take is gone? I don't think so, now go put one of those back!" he ordered.

Saru looked pleadingly at the lairds-heir, but he gave one nod to her to signal that she was to do as she was told. She scoffed in disgust and left, returning in a few moments with no swords but a halberd instead. "I can't use a shield," she explained flatly.

"Sweet justice," she said sarcastically when they had left the armory.

Cyrus stopped at looked gravely at her. "You have been justly dealt with," was all he said to her before he headed toward the command tent.

"Cyrus, I've heard that highlanders often use their own weapons in combat, weapons that you hold in very high regard as if they were a part of your being. How is it that you have a quartermaster and weapon store?" the gerudo queried.

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious."

"Some highlanders hold their life weapons too dear and don't fight with them, so we have these weapon stores for those clansmen," he explained.

It still was not quite the time for the meeting, as evidenced by Salin standing before the assembled highlanders and continuing to address them.

"The lairds will gather soon, prakau," Cyrus notified. He used Salin's formal title in this setting to make an example for those gathered.

"And you brought the gerudo. Thanks, lairds-heir," the zora replied, using formal titles himself. "Saru, wasn't it? Come," he ordered. Hesitantly, the gerudo followed Salin and faced the assembled highlanders. Glimmers of hatred shone in the eyes of many of these men. They dare not speak what was on their minds for fear of being disciplined.

"Saru, I bring you here so that we may learn from you as we have learned from each of these clans," he announced loudly enough for all gathered to hear. Saru looked puzzled. What was she other than just another soldier that nobody trusted?

"When engaged in combat, what is your preferred strategy?" the zora asked. The gerudo's confused expression remained. "I don't understand," she admitted. Salin rolled his eyes. "What do your people do when you go into combat?" he rephrased.

Saru was still unsure of the zora's meaning, but she made her best explanation. "Well, when we are conducting raids or ambushes a small number will beset a traveler, and reinforcements hidden behind sand dunes somewhere will rush in to aid," she said. She told nothing of the ability of gerudos to bury themselves in the sand and blast out when they were to fight. She did not feel that knowing this secret would aid these highlanders in any fashion, anyway.

"And when you are engaged in an actual combat situation?" the zora pressed.

"We'll hide our numbers. Many will be at the front facing the main force, but the majority will be hidden somewhere along the flanks waiting for the ideal moment to strike," she explained. "Why do you ask me these things?"

"We need to know every strategy and skill we can to fight against the demon horde. We don't know when the zoras will arrive and come to our aid so we must be prepared to fight for as long and with as much power as we can muster," he said. "Now fall in!" he ordered. The gerudo was still stunned. "With Gleight, sand basher, now move!" he insisted. With a cool look toward the zora she walked towards Gleight's banner, the only one she recognized. " _P.D.Q.!_ " he roared to combat her slothfulness. Her expression soured further as she broke into a jog and was subsequently ordered to give thirty push-ups. If anything, the highlanders were impressed by how well she was able to do them considering her lithe frame.

The time came quickly for the staff meeting, and Salin quickly established that he was in the lead. "For the past hour I've had your warriors reveal their secrets of warfare to the rest to give us an edge," he explained initially. This news caused some of the lairds to look to one another in confusion, others looked at him in disapproval.

"Aur battle strategies war aur ohn!" the laird of Yas'har protested.

" _Not if you want to go home to your clan, they're not!"_ Salin bit. "We can't afford to pridefully hoard effective battle strategies from one another if we have any hope of surviving this war. Do you understand?" he demanded of each laird. He repeated the question more insistently when no response came from those gathered. When he did, several reluctant nods were seen.

"This is no ordinary fighting force we're up against," Salin said to explain his harsh demeanor. "This is not like your previous wars where it's just a few clans skirmishing over a few acres here and there: these are demons and clans that have been duped by them. These are beings that are itching for nothing more than destruction and subjugation. We fight an enemy that will overwhelm all of this realm and any others they can reach," he said to them, his emotions running high. "Clan Galhedda knew what was coming and has rallied each of you here to stop them, to stand in their way. I see the clans will not lay down and allow their enemies to grind the goddesses' realm beneath their heels. We have the opportunity to stop them, if you are with me. Are you?" he asked.

Swords rang throughout the tent as they were drawn from their sheaths. Most of the lairds cheered their approval. Laird Yas'Har still seemed upset, but his support was sure. Only two had not voiced any manner of support. "And just what is holding you back?" the zora asked of them coolly.

The one to reply was the laird of Danyi. "No matter what you say, this is a highlander matter, and it will be settled by the clans. These 'demons,' as you call them are nothing more than some rabble that these other clans have rallied behind them. What you told us is a lie," he declared obstinately.

Cyrus paced toward the laird. The lairds-heir of Gleight stood taller, but the other was built with more muscle. "Khale, you disgust me," he began as he stepped nearer. The laird held his ground defiantly. "The other clans have finally accepted the true threat of what we are fighting when they heard the Wanderer's words spoken to Gleight. Why do you not?" he growled.

Laird Khale spat on Cyrus's boot. "Because any clan wanting dominance would brew up a story like that," he answered coldly. Cyrus looked at his boot and stamped the toe to clear off the spittle. It took a great deal of control on the lairds-heir's part not to strike Khale, so instead he settled for shouting at him.

"Pig-headed fool!" he roared suddenly. "Someone wants to see the Trilby Highlands and all of Hyrule, old and new burned to ash and he wants to walk over our bloody corpses as he does so!" he continued. Laird Khale continued to hold his ground, even though the other laird that had refused to show support had stepped away.

"Even with all of this, with all of the testimony given to the contrary of what you think… _schrast,_ this gathering of clans for war was not even started by Gleight, it was Galhedda if you can drag that out of your thick skull. Take my advice to follow the counsel of the Wanderer, and if you can't respect her word, than that of Laird Callum MhicGalhedda. Follow Prakau Bluescale's orders and we might save the world from its doom!" the furious lairds-heir concluded.

The laird of Danyi fixed an icy glare on the other. "You have no hold over me. You're lucky I'll stay on your side, even with that _telschad_ Hanharra clan standing beside you," he answered darkly. "We stand beside you, but we will not march with you. Danyi is independent of your rabble," he proclaimed, about to leave the tent. He was stopped by a restraining hand from Salin.

"Let go of me," Laird Khale ordered with a dangerous edge.

Salin did not comply, but rather tightened his grip on the laird's shoulder. "Know this: if you leave now, you will cry a teardrop for every drop of blood shed by a highlander that you could prevented had you stayed and not given in to your arrogance," he said before shoving the other out of the tent. "Make sure he doesn't defect!" Salin ordered to the soldiers standing outside. Promptly, warriors from all clans surrounded those of Danyi.

"You will let us pass!" Laird Danyi ordered. His hand drifted to his ax that was strapped to his back. The Danyi clansmen shifted uneasily, but all of the rest held their ground.

Salin stepped out of the command tent and addressed him. "We'll let you go from us, but we can't take the risk that a whole clan will defect to our enemies' cause. You will stay in your section under armed guard. If any of your warriors draws their weapon, they will be put down. Understood?" he decreed with a commanding air.

Kahle's eye twitched as he stared balefully at the zora. "To Ruha with you!" he shouted as he drew his ax to strike Salin. Weapons rang out from everywhere among the highlanders. Saru gaped in shock at these pugnacious men and women prepared to fight among themselves.

The laird of Danyi swung his mighty weapon toward Salin's head, but the zora was able to duck to the side and avoid his attack. "Bind him!" he ordered the other highlanders as he hardened his fins. "Bind him and any Danyiman that attempts to fight!"

Cyrus charged into the fight between his friend and the other laird unnoticed and wounded the laird's arm, causing him to drop his battle axe before he could complete the swing he was making for the zora's head. Surrounded by so many others that already had their weapons prepared, the Danyi clan was subdued, but not without a handful of deaths and injuries on both sides.

"You ought to be executed for this insurrection," Cyrus growled dangerously. "The threat is real, even that meathead Laird Dur Mhic Sallisha admitted this."

Laird Khale spat in Cyrus face, and this time the lairds-heir of Gleight was unable to restrain himself and he responded with a jab to the nose. Blood began to flow freely from the laird's nose. "Lairds, I, Laird's-heir Cyrus MhicGleight find Laird Khale MhicDanyi unfit to rule. What say you?" he called. Mutters of approval rose from among those lairds gathered. Gasps sounded throughout the warriors. In such an event as this where the whole of the trilby clans were imperiled, the lairds could bring an accusation such as Cyrus's against any laird that was attempting to subvert or otherwise harm the clans as a whole. So rare was such an event that none of the highlanders present nor their grandparents had ever seen such a thing.

"It might be, young Cyrus," Lairdess Dilihra stated. "But you are but a lairds-heir, and you are not head of your clan and cannot make the Accusation. I, however, make it in Laird Bruga's place," she continued. The approval was met unanimously by the rest of the lairds present. Naturally, Laird Khale was furious, as were most of his clansmen. Cyrus dreaded what he assumed would happen next; debate would erupt among the Danyi clan over who would be most suited to rule in their laird's place, at least among those that approved this action. Such scuffling had broken out already.

To Cyrus's relief, a shrill voice shattered the air in the camp and brought dead silence. Striding forward out of the layers of Danyi clansmen came Laird Khale's daughter, Laird's-Heiress Diha MhicDanyi. She stood taller than many of her men. Her face was very beautiful, but her expression was nearly always hard and austere. She was clad in platemail armor and bore a war axe and shortsword. Her voluminous hair was blond, but there was a hint of red in it, an unusual color among highlanders.

"I shall lead Clan Danyi to battle," she proclaimed. As the only living member of Laird Khale's family as far as anyone knew, her claim to rule them was undisputed. "But know this, 'Prakau' Bluescale," she said, sinking her teeth into the zora's title. "I understand the threat to the clans at large and it is this fact alone that holds me to this force, and to even stand beside the hated Hanharra clan, but I do not like your rule over us, and beyond this war, you will not have my support. Am I clear?" she said. She looked at Salin with her eyes narrow and her hands behind her back. Clearly an attempt to intimidate him, but he would have none of it.

"Yes, and it will not be outside of this war that I will hold any dominion among the clans. For now, however, I may as well be your high king and my word is law. Am I understood?" he responded with an edge to his voice.

Lairds-heiress Diha focused in Salin's emerald green eyes as if to cause pain to his very soul. "Understood," she acknowledged simply and icily.

"Good. All of you back to your stations. Lairds back to the command tent," the zora ordered.

 **As Salin reviewed his new strategies, the lairds all accepted, albeit grudgingly. "Trust me, we will have a much better chance at victory in with these preparations," he assured.**


	18. Chapter 18

With great anticipation came the day that the Trilby Highlander clans would engage the demons of old Castle Town. Due to the lack of any further raids, the highlanders were hungering for battle and nearly gave into their old feuds to fight with one another. The warriors had trained well under Salin and Cyrus's tutelage. Given time they came to tolerate and even accept the reforms that were made.

The clans were amassed on the eastern edge of the Trilby Highlands, bordering old Hyrule Castle Town. The aging walls around the city were still strong and solid and the moat was still full. There were bridges leading into the city from the west, east, and south. In the old kingdom's effort to appear more welcoming to outsiders, these were not drawbridges. They were still made of wood, however, and could easily be burned by defenders should the city come under strong enough siege. It was for this purpose that the highlanders had brought makeshift bridges in addition to their many siege machines for this engagement.

Cyrus looked anxiously toward the east as he had been so wont to these last few days. With each glance his despair ran deeper. No storm clouds could be seen that would herald the arrival of the zora tribe to aid the highlanders in their war. _Could the Wanderer have been wrong?_ he thought in desperation. He pushed these thoughts down with little effort, of course. No self-respecting trilby ever doubted the words of the Wanderer, but these thoughts continued to nag at the darker corners of his mind.

The highlander clans were arranged according to their preferred battle strategies. Those favoring bloody close-quarters combat that were outfitted with heavy plate-mail armors were placed at the front. Those that preferred quick strikes to sow chaos and cause as much damage and mayhem as possible were hidden near the southern and western bridges, ready to ravage the city once runners came from the eastern front with orders to attack. Others still were dispersed as needed.

None of the highlanders had ever been inside old Castle Town; it had fallen into disuse when the majority of the hylian population had migrated eastward. The first generation of clansmen after this exodus had looted the city to the bone and some had even tried to live in it. Any time a clan came into possession of the city, they were promptly driven out by another. Eventually, no clan would take the city again so as not to incur the jealousy of others. As such, once they were inside the city, the clans were unsure of what they would find. True, they had old maps detailing the layout of the once proud metropolis, but a city could change a great deal in hundreds years as Castle Town likely would have. Buildings could have collapsed, whatever infested Castle Town now may have built new buildings, and so forth. All the clans could be sure of currently was that the castle itself was located in the northern end of the city and this would most likely be their destination once they got inside.

 _What are they doing in there?_ Salin wondered. All of his armies had spent most of the day since dawn preparing siege weaponry. Now dozens of trebuchets, catapults, and ballistae were trained on the walls and shut gates of the city, yet not a single demon or enemy clansman had been seen all day. "Something isn't right here," the zora muttered to one of his aids.

The highlander nodded his head. "This doesn't seem like the enemies we're up against to do something like this at all," he agreed.

When shouts were heard coming from behind them, they knew precisely why they hadn't seen any of their enemies. Flashes of steel could be seen to their rear and shouts to aid. Moving as quickly as he could Salin came to the rear of his army and stood beside Cyrus.

Before them was the combined might of all the clans that had chosen to side with the horde of demons residing in old Castle Town. Everything human about them seemed to have disappeared, even more so than those raiders that had attacked the camp days earlier. Their hair was more unkempt than the previous raiders and had changed from the proud fiery orange to a doleful blood red color. Their war paint was in a much more fierce design than that adopted by the other clans. Gone were the patterns of woad paint and instead they were replaced by designs of terrible animals and skulls on their faces with blood. Their weapons were not traditional highlander weapons either. Rather than the expected straight swords, they bore wicked curved serrated blades. Warhammers bristled with bloodied spikes and axes bore macabre skull artwork on the sides.

"No highlander would decorate their weapons like that," Cyrus pointed out in fear. "Their new master had gotten into their heads."

Salin bravely strode forward with Cyrus at his side. The lairds-heir was the one to speak. He addressed their enemies in trilby. "Children of Eulia," he began. "Why do you side with those that would make you their slaves? See yourselves now. You are dressed and armed like honorless bandits, not like the proud clansmen that you are…"

"The clans mean nothing!" a voice cried out from the opposing side. Coming forward was a large and burly highlander man. His chainmail armor was covered in old blood and human skulls rested upon his shoulders and hung from his belt. He was armed with a greatsword that resembled a large butchering cleaver more than an elegant fighting tool. His face could not be seen beneath a helmet that bore the resemblance of a snarling gargoyle. His boots had spikes on the ends.

"I recognize your voice, Laird Hardlurhas Mhic Caledon," Cyrus called. "What have you done to yourselves?"

"We have taken upon ourselves great power!" the enemy laird proclaimed proudly. "Your numbers may be greater, but you are no match for us now. Fall before us or join Lord Vaati, the great warlock who would rightfully rule these lands!"

At the sound of the name the color drained from Cyrus's face. Every Trilby Highlander knew the legend of Vaati, the black-hearted man that had come to Hyrule centuries ago seeking to claim for himself a famed power. No matter the beliefs or alignment of any of the clans, they knew Vaati to be part of an evil that no highlander would ever unite himself with-or so the laird's-heir thought.

Yet here were these hundreds of warriors who had done just that. "You side with the abomination!" Cyrus accused. "You will die here! Your clans are past redemption!" With this proclamation, the highlanders in unison bellowed " _Eulia!_ " the traditional highlander battle cry. Power and righteous fury filled the beings of each warrior, and they knew that the mother-goddess of the Trilby Highlanders stood with them and would give her children strength.

Equal to the feelings of power for these people however, came another, mingled with hatred, fear, and revulsion. Rather than appeal to the goddess of victory as they had, the other clans cried for Ruha, the death goddess. No highlander had ever petitioned the Destroyer of the Trilby pantheon to aid them in battle. To do so was not to wish victory for oneself, but simply to wish doom upon all that you would fight no matter the outcome of battle. Nonetheless, the highlanders braced themselves and prepared to charge. Most of the highlanders in this part of the army were more lightly armored and thus would have a more difficult time repelling these enemies.

Though they were facing an attack from behind, the conversation between Cyrus and Caledon was long enough to give the warriors time to prepare. Highlanders with large shields had placed themselves in a long row with polearm using soldiers standing behind, ready to skewer any opposition foolish enough get close. Any that would come inside the effective range of the polearms would be met with the swords of the shield wall.

The dark highlanders charged the defensive line now, uttering a war cry and with an appearance so terrible that even the battle-hardened trilbies nearly faltered. Their enemies rushed upon their shields with seemingly no regard for their own lives. Many enemies fell, but at the same time the wave of these evil warriors soon broke through the line.

Shields, swords, and other weapons crashed upon one another. True to their appearance, the opposing clans fought light beasts. Cyrus, who was accustomed to the wild fighting style of the trilby clans was astonished at the ferocity these others bore. "Hold your ground!" Salin had to order on more than one occasion. Though they were frightened, the clans united with Galhedda remained steadfast, holding with a sheer sense of honor, determination, and need for survival.

"Cyrus! Get to the siege weapons and order them to stay trained on the gates to bombard anything that comes out! The last thing we need are monsters closing a trap on us!" Salin ordered. The lairds-heir nodded and began to make his way deeper into the crowd. As he went he was intercepted by a wild highlander dressed in ragged fur armor. He bore two war axes and roared at the lairds-heir like a bear. Cyrus howled back in response to the challenge and charged in.

The wild man's overhand swing with one ax fell uselessly on the laird's-heir's shield. He was too slow, however, to effectively ward off the side swing from the other ax. He jumped back, at least to make the blow non-lethal and only dent his armor.

Snarling in anger, the lairds-heir made another pass at the fur armor clad enemy. This armor appeared to be typical among these bedeviled highlanders. No metal armors could be found among them save for a few chainmail shirts. Double feinting with a sword strike and a shield bash, Cyrus was able to catch the other off guard and kick him in the side. His enemy collapsed on hands and knees with broken ribs and met his doom at Cyrus's blade.

Assuming he was now unobstructed, Cyrus charged deeper into the carnage to make it to the siege engines. He was surprised at how deep the opposing clans had made it into friendly lines. Two warriors now stood in his way. Irritated at this new obstruction, he lowered his shield and howled as he charged directly at them. He hoped to simply bowl them over with the weight afforded him by his plate armor. The first fell to the ground and was ended when Cyrus jumped on his throat after hitting him. The other was not so easy; he swung his mace into Cyrus and knocked him on his back.

As strong as the lairds-heir was he could not easily regain his footing after being knocked over in his plate armor. The mace came falling toward Cyrus's head with the force of a meteor. He rolled out of the way and only escaped to a few mere inches of safety to keep his skull from being crushed. From his position he had a good shot at his enemy's legs. The other highlander jumped over the strike and stood on Cyrus's arm to pin it down and make another attack. Suddenly the other's eyes widened in agony and he fell on top of the lairds-heir, an arrow protruding from his back. Cyrus struggled for a few moments to remove the corpse and stand again before resuming his journey through the bloodbath.

The first siege machine Cyrus reached was an onager. Its engineers were mostly lying dead, the only survivor from among them was resting against one of the wheels with a wound in his arm and a handful of other lacerations. "Are you alright, lad?" the lairds-heir asked the engineer, speaking in trilby. He looked up with bleary eyes. He was fighting to maintain consciousness, and if it weren't for his highlander blood he would have lost that fight minutes ago.

"I'll live," he grunted. His head throbbed and he blacked out for a few seconds.

"Are you trained on the gate?" Cyrus asked desperately, shaking the other as he did so to keep him awake. The response was an irritable nod. "Looks like you have a flint powderkeg here. If you see those gates open, you launch. Got it?" the lairds-heir pressed. A nod was the response once again. Cyrus slapped the engineer on the shoulder before heading to the next siege engine with little hope for the engineer to remain conscious to carry out the order.

Only a handful of the siege crews that Cyrus managed to contact were whole. The surprise attack from the ferocious enemy highlanders had done a great deal more damage to the other clans than they would have liked to have allowed. Still they fought on, determined to conquer and fighting with all of the vigor that came from their trilby blood. The lairds-heir of Gleight ground his teeth in anger at the damage they incurring. Unless the highlanders had a chance to regroup, they would be decimated.

Cyrus was able to reunite with the rest of his clan after cleaving his way through many more clansmen. "Yastur!" he called out when he had seen the man. He was struggling against an enemy clansman that was rather heavily decorated, most likely one of their lairds. It was a struggle for him to keep up with the laird's twin broadswords with his claymore. He heard Cyrus call out to him, but to distract his attention now would mean certain death.

The lairds-heir surged toward the general, cursing at the enemy laird to distract him. Normally when engaged in a heated battle, a highlander will become wild, their humanity taking backstage while something more primal awoke and engaged in the actual combat. There was just enough humanity left in a fighting highlander for him to issue, comprehend, and execute orders usually. This enemy laird, however, had no humanity left in his eyes in this battle.

Roaring more out of rage than agony, the laird whipped to his side to see the lairds-heir that had cut off his left arm. With more speed and strength than thought possible for the hylian that he was, he battered aside Yastur's two hander with one blade and thrust into his stomach before turning his attention to Cyrus. In anguish the lairds-heir keened and dealt a ruthless blow. He was smart about this engagement, as hurt as he was at the death of one of his clansmen. He kept his shield up as he went, but to his surprise he found it swatted aside by the laird's only arm.

Cyrus tried all that he could to gain an advantage over the wild laird, but he only found each of his attacks parried. What was worse was that he was quickly losing ground to this man turned beast. After some struggle he was able to wound the opposing laird in the leg. He grunted in satisfaction. Landing such a hit would secure him a decisive advantage. Or so he thought; the laird seemed completely oblivious to the pain and continued to advance. Taking advantage of Cyrus's momentary surprise, he drove his sword toward the lairds-heir's chestplate.

Cyrus was knocked on his back after intercepting the thrust. "To me! Gleight to me!" he called out. To his great relief, he was answered and to his surprise, it was not a Gleightman that kicked the enemy laird off the end of her blade to remove it from his chest. It was Saru the gerudo.

"Surprise," she said with an impish grin and a hand extended to the lairds-heir. Stunned, Cyrus found himself taking her hand and allowing her to raise him up, a gesture that he would never would have thought to make with a gerudo. "Where did you come by swords? What happened to your halberd?" he asked, preparing for an attack from three enemy clansmen.

"I scavenged them," she simply replied. "As for the pike, I tried to counter an attack with it and it was snapped in half. These men have strength like demons!" she reported, preparing to resume combat with three enemies that had appeared.

The clansmen that faced the two were each armed with swords and shields. Instead of the expected clan sigils on each shield, the crest they bore was that of a great eye. In unison they let loose an animalian roar before charging the gerudo and the lairds-heir. Once one of them was close enough, Cyrus charged forward slightly himself, dipping his shield down. When the shield connected with the other's body, he angled and lifted, flipping the enemy over his head. In the same motion, Cyrus whipped around behind with his sword and killed his enemy. "Top that one," he challenged the gerudo. She cocked her eyebrow at him before rushing at the other highlanders.

Saru's first target attempted an overhead slash at her. She caught the sword between her two blades crossed over her head. At the same time, the other warrior attempted the attack her from the side. She hopped up and jumped off the first highlander's shield, flying through the air over the other stunned warrior. His face was forever frozen in his expression of shock when she brought one of her swords on his head as she flipped over him. When she landed she threw one of the blades at the still standing highlander. The enemy was quick and battered to flying sword away before advancing on her.

Saru charged the warrior, ducking under his sword swing. She flowed around him beneath his arm and stabbed him in the back with her other sword. With a clear air of superiority, she tossed her head with a smug smile and reclaimed her sword. "Och, fancy dancer. I killed my one faster than you did your first," the lairds-heir dismissed.

"Hah! Admit it! I did it better _and_ with more flair than you!" Saru retorted.

"Look out!" Cyrus called as he saw a javelineer throw one of his missiles at the gerudo. Just barely was she able to avoid the weapon by diving to the side and breaking her fall with a roll. The lairds-heir sheathed his sword and lifted the pole out of the ground and threw it back. The shaft buried itself in the enemy's chest, felling him. Cyrus smoothly drew his sword again and went back into combat with Saru following close behind.

"We've got to tell Salin that we'll need to retreat and regroup!" the lairds-heir shouted over the din.

Saru nodded to him in reply. "Where is he?" she asked.

Cyrus finished another wild clansman before replying. "I don't know! Somewhere to the west is my best guess!" he said before trying to muscle his way through in that direction.

Salin was cut off from his guards, staring down the four warriors that were now surrounding him. "Don't suppose you take prisoners, do you?" he asked with a resigned countenance.

The warriors chuckled maliciously. "Only lairds," one of them replied before licking the blood from his sword.

"How unfortunate," the zora sighed. They all advanced on him with heinous gleams in their eyes. Salin made himself to seem as if he were resigned to his fate, but just as the highlander in front of him was close enough, he stabbed his throat with a fin and zipped outside of the ring of soldiers. He whirled around to face the other highlanders, polearm ready. His fin rings made a clink when they hit his chestplate.

The highlanders growled viciously over the death of their comrade. Salin broke a grin as he swung his weapon in a mighty arc. The heavy weight of the head combined with the length of the pole overwhelmed the defences of the one he swung at and ended his breath. After he completed a full loop swing he pointed it toward the two remaining warriors. They each raised their shields and approached.

The zora braced himself for the two about to attack. He made a thrust at one of them and angled the attack down in time to slip under one of the warriors' shields before he could compensate and mortally wounded him. He wound up for another swing of his pole and made the attack, bashing down the first warrior and bringing his polearm down on the one still on the ground, killing them both.

"There's no end to them!" a Galheddaman cried in anguish. Salin looked toward the remnant of the enemy forces and to his dismay he saw that the opposing army was still several layers of warriors deep. "They've cut off our escape," he hissed through his teeth. "We're trapped!"

After ordering several of his warriors to group together, he heard Cyrus's voice calling out to him. He arced his polearm and killed the three warriors from behind that stood between himself and his friend. Saru stood beside the lairds-heir, wide-eyed at the power of Salin's weapon. "We need to retreat!" Cyrus implored. "We're getting wasted!" he explained, using a mercenary's term to describe their predicament.

A few enemy warriors appeared and the three struggled against them for a moment before dispatching them. "You think?!" Salin replied irritably. He pointed to the area behind them. "They've got us surrounded! And they haven't even let their armies out of the city yet!" Cyrus's face drained of color and Saru looked worriedly at him.

"I'm sorry, Tila," the gerudo whispered to herself.

"We're surrounded…" Cyrus said quietly. "We are lost," he added.

Salin looked at his friend with surprise. "I've never known you to be a defeatist before, Cyrus. There still is a chance…" he ventured.

The lairds-heir turned at looked at the zora, a defiant gleam in his eye. "We might be lost, but we'll burn the town with our dying breaths! Nothing is more dangerous than an angry highlander expecting death! _Eulia!_ " he bellowed, raising his sword to the sky. He ran through the knots of remaining highlander warriors, shouting rallying cries in the language of the highlanders. Voices ringing out the name of the trilby victory goddess could be heard everywhere, lifting like embers of hope sparking off a fire.

"Never underestimate the power of a rally," Salin said with thankful grin. Saru looked up when she felt a raindrop on her head.

Thick clouds had recently coalesced in the sky. "This is just going from bad to worse isn't it?" she grumbled. "But… it seems like the storm's coming from over the desert," she observed, baffled.

"This isn't a chance storm," Salin replied with elation. "It's a sign of our salvation!"

The gerudo looked at Salin with a puzzled look. Both of them heard the gates to the old city creaking open. "And not a moment too soon," Prakau Bluescale muttered. To his surprise the siege weapons were not firing into the open gates, nor was the sound of battle heard from that direction. Rather the sounds of highlander cheering could be heard.

Cyrus heard the sound as well. He was much closer to the city and he was able to see the many different banners of the zoran army waving proudly inside the gates of old Castle Town. He fought off an enemy warrior before scanning the army for a specific banner. On a white background stitched with radiant blue was the symbol of the Zora's Sapphire with the green dragon of Gleight curled protectively around it. Ruto was here as well.

As grateful as he was that help had finally arrived from across the desert, he was worried for the safety of his wife. In the midst of his thoughts he found a mace had come crashing into his side from an enemy warrior. Winded and with a dent in his breastplate that made it difficult to breathe, he spun around to see another enemy laird.

"Honorless dog," Cyrus accused.

"What is honor?" the laird retorted. He advanced on the breathless highlander with his mace ready.

"All that you lack. All that makes you human," the lairds-heir replied with a heaving gasp, slashing at the newcomer. He easily parried the sword with his own shield, the characteristic eye painted upon it rather hastily over his own clan's sigil, a proud hawk. "Laird Dubla!" Cyrus growled through his teeth.

"Haven't you grown?" came the reply, accompanied with a mocking smile.

"I looked up to you, and now look at yourself!" the lairds-heir keened. "You're no highlander, you're a monster!" he added, charging at the enemy laird. He was brushed aside as if he were little more than a fly. In the midst of his flight Cyrus was able to swing again and leave a debilitating wound in the laird's side. He barely seemed to notice the deep gash left there. Any normal man would faint within minutes due to the blood lost from such a wound.

After a brief struggle to stand again, the opposing laird made a swing for Cyrus's head. He was able to duck in time and he advanced with his shield forward. "You're sword's bloody," the laird chided. He swung again at Cyrus and missed by mere inches.

"At least my hands are not," the lairds-heir shot back. Suddenly a handful of zoran warriors broke through the line and killed the laird, felling him without a groan.

"Prince Cyrus," they greeted with bows. In the midst of the combat, the lairds-heir hadn't noticed that all of the highlanders were beginning to surge into Castle Town and to safety. Then he smelled the smoke of the burning siege engines. "There wasn't time to get them inside and Prakau Bluescale said he didn't want to leave them for the opposition," one of the zoras explained as he looked around at them. "Now if you please, sir, we need to move!" he implored. Cyrus nodded, though his head was swimming. A man that he had known since youth and had been mentored by was killed before his face.

"Are you alright, Prince Cyrus?" the soldier pressed. Cyrus nodded woodenly and followed the rest of the army into the city.

Safely inside, the gates slammed shut, leaving the wild highlanders outside raging in fury as trilby archers and zoran slingers rained death upon them from the walls. "What's going on here?" Salin asked of one of the zoran soldiers. All around the secured areas of Castle Town zoras and highlanders were receiving treatment from healers, physicians, apothecaries, and druids all. Most of those wounded were highlanders on account of the intense struggle outside.

"We came in from the east and saw one of the trilby clan's forces stationed outside the city. When we met up with them, found that some enterprising members of this clan had entered the city by scaling the wall and unlocked the gate. We were able to storm the city and eliminate the resistance inside without much of a struggle as they were mostly gathered around the western side where you and the rest of the clans were, Prakau," the soldier briefed. Salin nodded in satisfaction.

"What's the situation now?" he asked.

"We have soldiers against the castle right now to hold off the forces inside. We've been having a difficult time because of the wizzrobes there, but we've been holding the barricades," he continued.

"Good. Carry on."

"Yes Prakau."

In another part of the city, Cyrus was calling out to Ruto and searching fervently for her. He caught a flash of magenta among the zoras and he muscled his way through the crowd to find her and some of her guards arguing with each other in zoran as she was cleaning off her coral scimitar.

Cyrus had never seen his wife in full battle armor before. She wore the usual coral and shell armor that the zoran people wore, but atop her helmet was a clamshell fan, obviously to distinguish who she was to her forces. Though his knowledge of the zoran tongue was limited, he knew what the debate was over. Ruto was insisting that she be allowed to continue to lead the zoras into battle as they stormed the castle, but her staff was equally adamant that she remain in safety while Salin conducted the assault.

When one of Ruto's staff noticed Cyrus approaching, he bowed to him, as did all of the others. When she saw him, Ruto's eyes lit up and she sheathed her sword. "I've missed you," Cyrus said simply.

"And I as well," Ruto sighed joyously as she embraced her husband tightly.

"You made it just in time," the lairds-heir said. Ruto pulled back and looked at her husband with a hurt expression. "That's all you could think about? The battle? What about me?" she said.

Cyrus gave pause for a few moments. "I love you?" he said carefully.

"Ah, you know I'm never mad at you," Ruto assured with a warm smile. "Only joking." Some of the princess's staff shifted uneasily. Certainly they enjoyed seeing their princess happy, but there was a much more pressing matter to attend to.

"Prince Cyrus," one of the zoras interrupted. "I don't mean to spoil your reunion, but a battle rages about us and the barricades we have set up in front of the castle may give way at any moment. We must press our advantage while we can," he implored.

"Indeed," Cyrus replied. "Have we mustered all of those able to fight?" he asked, his mind now on the battle once again.

"Yes, milord," the zora acknowledged. "All we need now is your order and Prakau Salin will lead us to the castle and crush whatever evil forces lie there."

"We will go as well, will we not, Cyrus?" Ruto added. Her tone of voice made her statement sound less like a question and more like a royal decree.

"Unacceptable, milady. You must be kept in safety at all-" the guard began, but a hand from Cyrus stopped him.

"A true leader will go before his forces into battle," the lairds-heir interrupted. "It's unacceptable if we _don't_ go in there with you."

The zoran soldier sighed in resignation. "Very well," he said. "I'm not one to insist the safety of two royals," he added with quiet sarcasm.

"Are you two lovebirds done yet?" Salin cut in. Nobody had noticed him approach. "Everyone's falling into line. I take it you're joining the fun, princess?"

"Absolutely," she declared resolutely.

"Are you sure you have it in you?" Cyrus said with concern. "I know that combat is very difficult for you."

Ruto shook her head vehemently. Even when going into battle she wore many jewels. The motion of her head caused them to jingle. "I'm going," she declared adamantly. "I might not be desensitized to it completely like you two barbarians," she dug to Cyrus and Salin. "But I'm fighting for my own people, for all of Hyrule! I'll be able to keep my head," she assured.

"Then let's get to the front!" Salin said enthusiastically.

 **"** **Aye, the lunatic at the head of this rabble awaits!" Cyrus concurred.**


	19. Chapter 19

The zoras were at the front of the now combined fighting force. Even with the trilby clanspeople hungering for battle, they were battered and wearied from the fighting outside the city walls. The Zoras in contrast were quite fresh; their earlier surprise attack had been so successful that few of the piscine soldiers bore wounds or fatigue. Naturally, the highlanders were opposed to this maneuver, but Salin and Cyrus were able to prevail upon them the wisdom of this course of action eventually.

The Old Hyrule Castle was showing its age. The stones had mosses growing in any of the furrows and the moat had since dried out. The wall was beginning to crumble in a few places. The castle had only one entrance, and the zoras had set up barricades against it. Monsters of all kinds could be seen past them. Zoran javelineers and slingers were constantly barraging the other side. Only heavily armed darknuts and those creatures that were intelligent enough to find cover were left standing. The fact that these remaining enemies had made no move to approach the barricades was very suspicious.

"What are they doing? They haven't even so much as thrown a rock back at us," Cyrus muttered. "I think they have some sort of trap laid for us," he said to Salin. The zora general nodded in agreement and faded into the rear ranks of his army that was occupied by the more lightly armed highlanders.

"Is there anyone here from the Burroch clan?" he called. In near-instant response, a leather armor wearing highlander woman appeared. She wore a gray cloak over her slender form and was armed with a short recurve bow. The emblem on her chestpiece depicted a raven.

"Yes, prakau?" she asked. Her voice was smooth and quiet. She carried a slight cold lilt to her voice, common for a clan known for its assassins.

"Your name?" Salin requested.

The other removed her hood to reveal darker than normal red hair and frigid, calculating green eyes. "Sulla Breathender," she answered simply.

"The reputation of your clan states that you are expert infiltrators, am I correct?"

"Aye, prakau,"

"I need you to climb over that wall and find out why they aren't mounting a counteroffensive."

Sulla broke a hint of a smile. "As you hear, spying is one of our specialties. It will be done," she declared. She threw her hood up and wove through the crowd toward the castle. Once she made it to the wall, she smirked. The old and worn stone bricks would be as easy for her to climb as a ladder. The wall provided no match for a Burroch clanswoman like her, trained to find her way into highland keeps which were always constructed to deter even the most seasoned and tenacious burglars with their high, smooth walls and narrow windows.

Her gray cloak fluttered in the breeze as she neared the top of the western wall. If there were any guards up here to see her, the sun would be in their eyes and well out of hers. Peering over the wall, she saw a pair of bulbins standing guard, but they were not firing their bows down at the highlanders. One was struck in the head by a javelin and fell without the characteristic pained screaming that he usually heard. Sulla's eyes narrowed in suspicion and slunk over the wall with greater caution.

Below in the dried out and decaying courtyard she could see the same enemy forces she had seen earlier, still making no move to defend themselves other than a few running for cover. _Strange behavior, indeed_ , she thought. Frequently Sulla looked behind herself as she picked across the wall toward the castle in case any guards-few left as there were-should notice her. Carefully she planned out her path to get inside, knowing that no answers would be found here in the courtyard or upon the walls. An open window presented itself and the thief entered as easily as most would enter a door.

The Burrochwoman's eyes adjusted fairly quickly to the half-light in the room. It appeared to be a bedchamber, a recently used one, in fact. Recently used by bulbins, as attested by the rubbish on the floor and the general ruinous condition of the room. She winced as the door creaked on totally unoiled hinges as she opened it. If it weren't for the commotion outside, she would have been given away immediately.

No guards presented themselves down the dark and dusty halls as Sulla glanced about. She knew that this was when she should be especially cautious. From her experience, it was obvious there was some kind of trap laid. The question was how was it to be triggered?

She searched dark room after dark room and found nothing that would suggest to be tactical information. By some miracle still no guards had found her or were alerted to the squealing doors. Eventually she made her way to the main hall where she would have a view of the front gate. It was there that she discovered the trap. She could see wizzrobes here conjuring illusions of various dark warriors and sending them out to be perforated by enemy javelins, stones, and arrows. If they were to attack then the highlanders would know for certain that they were being tricked. Now she had discovered the ruse, but where was the true army hiding-if there was one?

Before she could engage the search, Sulla knew that she had to terminate the ruse with well placed arrows into the wizzrobes' backs. With the illusion collapsing, the forces outside were able to perceive what else was at work until she could discover where the bulk of the enemy's fighting force had gone. The first guard that Sulla had seen in this castle appeared: a foul-smelling and brutish moblin.

"Pretty torch head," he said in his guttural voice. "Pretty torch head not allowed here. Pretty torch head come to boss," he ordered. Sulla spat with contempt at the massive guard and stabbed his heart with her dagger. Speed, not stealth, was what motivated her now. If that moblin had spotted her, who else might have?

She vaulted off the balcony into the tiled hall below, breaking her fall with a roll. As soon as she knew she could make herself heard, she shrilly called to the forces behind the barricade. "Prepare for a trap!" Sulla could see through the gate the army was turning outward, facing in every direction to catch any enemy movement.

Something still seemed wrong. With their position given away, the opposing army would have no choice but to attack. Yet still there was no sign of any enemy. The highlander assassin started when a searing column of flame erupted in the midst of the zoras and highlanders. Soldiers screamed in terror and agony as the flames carried them up, only to leave them as ashes blowing on the wind. Surviving zoras cried in shock while highlanders roared in fury.

"Wizzrobes," Sulla cursed. She whipped around with her bow drawn to face any that she might see, but there were none. Instead, the only figure she could make out in the castle's great hall was a pale-skinned and red-eyed man. Upon his head he wore a black pointed hat with a red jewel on the crown, his white hair flowing out from beneath it and swept to one side to cover his left eye. He was shrouded in a decorative black robe with silver threads running like spiderwebs all over it and had a finely crafted black sabre on his belt.

He chuckled slightly when Sulla pointed her bow at him. "Congratulations, you disrupted the illusion," he said with a smirk. She let fly only to watch her arrow disintegrate a few feet before the newcomer's chest. "But you will see I still have the advantage," he added. He formed a ball of light in one of his hands and hurled it at the assassin. The light struck her before she could dodge around or even let her arrow loose, turning her into what appeared to be a masterfully carved statue of a highlander woman with her bow drawn. Her arrow had just been released and was still attached to the bow just barely as it was releasing its pent up tension. Any highlander within sight of the spell cursed the man with the foulest of oaths that the trilby tongue could afford.

"Behold! I am Vaati, master of this world! Bow before me as your comrades without the walls have!" this wizard thundered. Shouts of contempt erupted from the highlanders, followed by a few arrows, javelins and stones. All turned to dust before they could find their marks. Enraged soldiers quickly tore down the barriers and rushed the wizard. If they couldn't destroy him from afar, they would tear him apart instead-with their bare hands if they had to. Those that came near enough to Vaati met the same fate as their missiles, however. Soon all of the soldiers ceased their charge and only pointed their weapons threateningly at the lone mage who now had a pile of dust in a half circle before him. As he neared they backed away to place themselves again outside in the courtyard. It takes a great deal to frighten a battle-furious highlander and this wizard had succeeded in doing so.

"I must admit, I'm impressed that you were able to make it through all of my servants. The other torch heads I was sure would at least be able to deter you," he lauded in a condescending tone. He looked over those marshalled against him. He arbitrarily chose a zoran soldier and waved his hand. The zora clutched his chest and fell to the ground lifeless.

"As you can see, you have no hope," he said calmly. "Bow the knee and I will be merciful to you," he ordered.

"Death before tyranny!" a female voice called out. Murmurs broke out among the zoras as they saw their princess enter the front line, her bearing proud and noble. "We shall keep the light burning!" she proclaimed defiantly.

Vaati only laughed in response. "You would stand against me, fish-woman?"

"Zora!" she corrected indignantly.

Vaati shook his head. "These are zoras," he chided. Five large, brutish, green, and rough scaled river zoras appeared in clouds of dark smoke, wicked teeth and eyes gleaming. Ruto smirked. "More illusions. River zoras are under ritual oath to not engage in warfare."

Vaati cocked an eyebrow. The river zoras charged and were subsequently felled by arrows launched from impulsive highlanders. Unlike the illusions conjured earlier, these river zoras did not fade when killed, but rather lay on the ground with their wounds bleeding. After a moment their corpses erupted in foul black smoke.

Vaati's expression remained impassive as the river zoras were slain. "Kneel," he commanded simply. A pain broke out in the zora princess's legs, buckling her knees and causing her to fall to the ground with an agonized cry. Another javelin flew out of the crowd and whizzed past Vaati's side and shattered a pot. While the projectile missed him, the sound was enough to disrupt the sorcerer's concentration and to release the magic binding Ruto.

Cyrus stepped out of the crowd and helped his wife stand once again. "You will pay," he growled to the mage. Vaati chuckled once again. "Will I? Let's see," he answered. A wall of thorny briars suddenly grew between the crowd and the three.

"Eulia defend us!" Cyrus cried, his sword raised skyward. Ruto drew her own blade and fixed her eyes on the sorcerer. Vaati released a heinous laugh as he grew to be twice his original size, a towering eleven feet. The ends of his robe burst into flame that radiated intense heat yet did not consume the rest of his clothing. The princess and laird's-heir flinched back when a blood-red eye snapped open on the center of Vaati's robe.

"A taste of my power!" Vaati the sorcerer proclaimed. He raised his arms and several flames in the shape of keese formed all around him. Vaati then pointed at Cyrus and Ruto and sent the swarm after them. The princess's heart sank in fear. Her husband raised his shield and prepared for the onslaught. "Burning bats is the best you can do?" he demanded of the sorcerer.

"You wish for more?" Vaati answered the challenge. He raised his arms to be level with each other on his sides. Great whips of flame engulfed both arms and he hurled them in great swings. The air shimmered with the heat. Cyrus was weathering much of the fire on his armor. He was able to keep the flames from hitting his face with his shield, but the whole of his platemail was beginning to be very hot. His cape even caught fire and he was barely able to release it before it became completely enveloped in the blaze. Ruto was trying her best to avoid the flame keese and tentacles of fire and was thus far successful. As a zora she was not as able to withstand the heat as easily. Absorbing the fire on her armor was not an option.

"Aren't you quite the nimble one?" the sorcerer patronized the princess.

Ruto landed for a brief respite panting. There were some light scorch marks visible on parts of her armor that had been streaked with glancing fire. "I'm not even aided by unholy magic," she retorted.

"Oh, there's nothing 'unholy' about my magic," Vaati assured. He spoke as an adult would speak to a very young child. Cyrus was beginning to despise that tone of voice. "It's just from a hat that I wear," he explained.

"Then take it off! Let's see how you fight a balanced fight, you coward!" the lairds-heir spat.

Vaati regarded the highlander. "It would make no difference," he said flatly, summoning another flight of fire keese. Cyrus bellowed in rage and charged the sorcerer with his shield forward to protect his face.

"Dearest, wait!" Ruto called, thinking that he would be turned to dust as so many of his kinsmen had before. To her astonishment, he was unharmed once he made it. She saw her husband drive his sword into the large eye on the robe.

The sorcerer screamed in pain and reeled back, anger on his formerly impassive face. "Insolent fool!" he hissed icily, casting a jet of flame into the highlander, knocking him back into a sprawling heap near the main entrance.

"Cyrus! No!" Ruto screamed. She did not notice Vaati preparing for another strike and was knocked back by a similar burst of flame. Her scream of emotional pain turned to one of physical agony as the flames burned her skin. The damp that zoras ordinarily had on their skin had evaporated and she felt dry all over; an unbearable feeling for the piscine folk. Some of her scales popped and sizzled as the vicious flames consumed them.

The lairds-heir managed to right himself once again and he fixed a blood-curdling leer at the sorcerer. "You are just too easy," Vaati said, again in condescension. "Imagine what I'd do to you in my full power."  
"Is your full power to summon flaming babas instead? I crave to see it," Cyrus challenged. Vaati smirked and threw a fireball at the highlander. Cyrus was easily able to hop to the side and avoid it. "That wasn't it! Come on! Show me all you've got!" he goaded. His anger was becoming as hot as Vaati's fire and Ruto feared what would happen if he gave wholly into it.

The sorcerer cackled evilly and made a great pillar of fire appear in the room, similar to the pillars he had cast outside. "You're a little closer!" the lairds-heir shouted as he advanced. Vaati created a swirl of fire centering on himself that knocked Cyrus back once again. "You should have thought your magic through a little more. Flames can't break through plate armor!" the lairds-heir jeered as he hefted himself back on his feet.

"Then taste of this, barbarian! I tire of your insults!" Vaati shot back. In his hand materialized a huge sword. Flames danced on the length of the long, wicked looking blade. The hilt was forged to look like a monster's claw with an eye red as blood in the center of it. Vaati now advanced on the highlander, with his sword at the ready.

"That's more like it!" Cyrus laughed, charging into combat once again. The laird's-heir's shield gave a piercing ring and threw sparks everywhere when impacted by the flaming sword, though its defence was of little help. Vaati swung the blade as if it were as light as a rapier but the weight was enough to overwhelm Cyrus's shield and send him to the floor.

"My own father gave me worse beatings," Cyrus growled. He leapt toward the sorcerer again, ducking under the next swing and placing a solid steel-toed kick on Vaati's shin. The sorcerer, however, made no show of pain. He simply picked up the lairds-heir with his free hand as if he were a rag doll and threw him skidding across the floor, throwing sparks and cracking tiles as he went. His armor made an ear-splitting screech as his slid into the wall with a clang, cracking the wall when he made impact.

Throughout this combat, Vaati had not noticed that Ruto had again risen to her feet. As the men fought she silently crept toward the sorcerer. Once he had thrown her husband, the princess had a perfect opportunity. She drove her sword into the gleaming red eye on Vaati's front. As he recoiled in pain, she clambered up his body, shrugging off the pain from the flames on his robe in a desperate bid for victory and tore the hat from his head.

She leapt off and rolled to break her fall, grabbing her sword as she did. Vaati had collapsed into the form of the hylian that the armies had initially seen him as. His visible red eye narrowed in undiluted fury as he focused on the princess who stood with her sword pointing at him.

Once Ruto had taken Vaati's hat, armies of demons suddenly materialized outside, the invisibility magic sustained by their master dissipated. By this time, Bruga, Arah, the Gleightmen that were with them on their voyage to Zora's Domain and a few of their guards had rejoined the bulk of the army. "Give them doom, lads!" Bruga crowed once the enemy had become visible. The highlanders eagerly roared their battle cries and rained destruction upon Vaati's bewildered armies. The zoras needed a few seconds to recover from seeing hundreds of monsters materialize, but once they did, zoran pikemen quickly arranged themselves into new formations that Salin had taught them. Two rows of zoras lined up, each row with his pike facing forward. The formation would then charge its wall of spikes into their hapless enemy. Bulbins and bokoblins quickly fell, and soon only hardier moblins, darknuts, and iron knuckles were left standing.

Vaati screamed in rage and he drew his sabre as he rose, bashing the princess's blade aside. He snarled viciously and dropped into his battle stance, assuming a very aggressive posture. Ruto stood her ground and moved her entire focus on the fight at hand. Vaati lunged for her. She angled out of the way, but as she did so the sorcerer moved his sword to intercept. He left a superficial but still painful cut on an exposed part of her thigh. The princess winced, and as she did so, Vaati made a grab for his hat.

Ruto was quick to evade and threw the hat toward Cyrus. She thrust at Vaati and was met with another parry. She tried a few more attacks, and each of them was blocked. The sorcerer did not seem to possess any inhuman abilities in this fight. He simply appeared to be a superior swordsman. He made a few attacks of his own. Ruto was able to miraculously avoid them, but she was quickly losing ground. He pushed her toward Cyrus, his obvious goal to reclaim the hat that had given him his power.

Desperation seeped its way into Ruto's heart with tendrils of despair. Realizing what she had done in her fight with Kedor, she called upon the highlander victory goddess. With renewed vigor she attacked Vaati. She made a vicious slash toward his side, following with her fin on the other. Vaati leapt back and swung at Ruto's left arm. The sword glanced off her bracer, yet he was able to use the momentum from the shock to angle another attack toward her midsection.

The princess leaned to the side of the thrust and followed with one of her own. The sorcerer bolted off-line and grabbed the dull side of the princess's single-edged weapon. Ruto struggled with the sword, gripping it with both hands. Vaati grinned wickedly, keeping a firm hold on the sword with only one hand. The zora pulled with all of her might, grunting in effort, yet she was unable to free her weapon.

Knowing she would lose this contest of strength, she angled to the side, surprising Vaati and breaking his grip. Now on his flank, she swiped at the sorcerer. He was able to make some distance to avoid a lethal blow, but not without receiving a deep gash across his chest that tore his robe open, exposing skin just as pale as his face just around the wound. Vaati fought on, but it was a losing battle with all of the blood he was losing. Soon, he collapsed on his hands and knees, his strength totally depleted.

"Finish him! Kill him and end this madness!" Cyrus called.

Ruto had her sword pointed at Vaati, but she was hesitant. "He's defenseless," she protested. "If we capture him…"

"His armies are just outside!" the lairds-heir interrupted. "He is not defenseless!"

The princess bit her lip in nervousness. Throughout her life she had been raised in a royal court, but the decision of someone's life had never been hers to make. Even with her husband's encouragement, she could not bring herself to end this man's life. She let out shrill yelp when she saw Cyrus's own sword run through the sorcerer and end him.

"It had to be done, you know this," he said directly with a slightly critical glance to his wife. He began to wipe his sword clean with Vaati's robe.

"Cyrus, he… we could have…" Ruto stammered. She began to feel the blood rush out of her head and her vision tunneled. She looked at her husband who had a wearied expression himself. It was only a moment before she lost consciousness entirely. Her husband remained standing and conscious, although dazed. He was more able to cope with the aftermath of Eulia's battle rage than his wife and thus was able to stay upright.

The lairds-heir slumped to the ground beside his wife, sword in hand, guarding her as faithfully as he could. Slowly, the sounds of battle outside waned as Cyrus's strength recovered. Finally, after several moments, the hylian prince of the zoras began to relax. Until his tranquility was suddenly shattered when he noticed that Vaati's hat was gone. "No!" he gasped.

"Yes!" a triumphant voice answered. Appearing just in front of him in a cloud of smoke was Troas.

"You son of a bulbin!" the lairds-heir frothed, making a grab for the thief.

Troas cackled maniacally and disappeared then suddenly reappeared twenty feet away. He teleported various points around the room, never staying in one place for more than four seconds, laughing as he did. "Too slow!" he jeered when he appeared in front of Cyrus once again and slapped him before zooming away again.

Cyrus lost track of the thief entirely until he heard shouts outside. It sounded as if he was using the same trick outside as he was inside. "There you are!" Troas crowed when he finally found Hira among Gleight's ranks. "I want to thank you for freeing me. If you never did I never would have found this hat!" he lauded with a cackle.

"You swine!" Hira accused. She gasped as her sword vanished from her hand. One by one, other highlanders were cursing as their weapons were stolen from them. Any that wore valuables into combat were relieved of these as well.

"I am the greatest thief alive!" Troas declared proudly as he jumped from furious highlander to bewildered zora and to furious highlander once again.

The thorns that were obstructing Cyrus and Ruto from the armies in the castle courtyard had since disappeared, allowing them to rejoin the rest of their forces. Soldiers everywhere milled about to catch the seemingly ubiquitous Troas. Saru was among the highlanders' ranks as well, watching helplessly as the thief blinked from person to person. When she saw Ruto exit the castle, she was about to warn her to keep a good hold on her jewels, but then an idea came to her mind with the warning.

"Keep a good hold of your jewels, zora!" she cautioned while she bounded toward the pair. She drew her dagger and stood to the princess's side.

"What are you up to?" Cyrus asked with suspicion. The gerudo held a finger to her lips to silence the lairds-heir as she watched Troas's blinking movements. As he came closer and closer Saru prepared herself. Once he had warped in front of the princess, he grabbed one of her necklaces. Saru thrust the dagger at him, though Troas vanished again before the blow could connect

Saru cursed several times over as Troas came back for more of the princess's jewels, escaping each time. Cyrus's face hardened in anger at the theft, especially once Troas had stolen the wedding token he had given to his wife. Amidst Ruto's protests, he lifted the Zora's Sapphire out of his armor and brought it into the light of the sun. The fantastic blue jewels glimmered brilliantly.

"Saru… hold the dagger to Ruto's throat," the lairds-heir ordered. The gerudo looked puzzled while his wife looked at him in severely wounded shock. "Just trust me," he added. Without a further word, Saru grabbed the princess and put the dagger on her neck. A bead of zoran blood ran down the weapon. Suddenly, as Cyrus expected, Troas appeared and attempted to grab the Zora's Sapphire. As soon as his hand touched the jewel, he felt daggers of ice flow through his hand and up his arm.. In his surprise, the lairds-heir was able to wrest the hat from the thief's head and order Saru to release his wife.

"It gets cold when she's in trouble," Cyrus explained through his teeth. "Now, you're going to show me where you hid all of the loot," he growled. Troas spat in Cyrus's face in response. The lairds-heir returned with his armored fist, knocking a few of Troas's teeth out. "One more chance," he threatened.

"Or what? You'll kill me? You won't find any of the stuff if you do that, you know. I bet you didn't think of that one torch head, did y-" This time it was Saru's fist that crashed into the thief's face.

"I was a fool to trust you," she hissed.

"I hid it all up your rear end!" Troas murmured with a wicked glint to his eye.

"Why you keaton-kissing, stoneless…" Cyrus began dangerously. Several less forgivable insults streamed from the lairds-heir's mouth, some of which he had to revert to speaking trilby to make them harsh enough. _Stoneless?_ Saru thought through the midst of it. She suddenly kicked the thief in the fork, causing him to double over in pain.

"Still won't tell you," he gasped. Another blow landed squarely in the same place. "Alright! Fine!" he wheezed. "'Sall in the kitchens. Go check!" Ruto signalled for a few of her guards to search the area prescribed. Once more Saru landed another kick. "Yow! I told you everything you want!"

"Say you're sorry," Saru said, just as she would say it to a child.

Cyrus was not about to stop her from torturing the thief further, but Ruto put a restraining hand on the gerudo's shoulder. "He's suffered enough. Just put him in a dungeon somewhere," she requested.

Saru then looked at the princess, then at the lairds-heir, then at Troas. "Which one? highlanders and gerudos both want this man incarcerated."

"Where would you like to go?" Ruto asked of him.

Troas seemed confused. "Tell her," Saru threatened, looking as if she was ready to drive her booted foot where it had gone before.

"Zoras!" he cried. "I'd rather be imprisoned with the zoras."

Ruto looked puzzled. "You've done no wrong to us. Why would we imprison you?" she asked. Troas only shrugged.

"He goes to the gerudos," Cyrus growled.

The thief looked at the lairds-heir in horror. "Not there again! No!" he plead. "I'll truly change my ways! Don't send me back to the sand rats!" Saru kicked Troas in the gut this time over the slur.

"As the lairds-heir commands," Saru said wickedly. "But who will take him?" she asked. "Tila and I can't, indeed won't go back, no highlander could go there, that only leaves…" she looked at the zora princess.

Ruto shook her head vigorously. "No. No, it will not be the zoras that will doom this man," she refuted.

Cyrus ignored both women, however and called out to a pair of Gleightmen. "Bury this fool in the desert up to his neck. Put him somewhere close to the Gerudo Fortress but not so close that they'll find you or him right away."

Both warriors took on an eager expression and bound and gagged the thief. "Don't squirm. We might drop ya," one of them ordered. "Whoops. Now see what you did?" he furthered once he let the hylian fall on the pavement.

"What of mercy, Cyrus?" the princess reprimanded. "Surely he doesn't deserve the punishment we're giving him!"

The lairds-heir sighed and took a few breaths to cool his blood. "Saru, go see if you can help with the wounded," he ordered. The gerudo walked away without a word. Once she was out of earshot, Cyrus spoke to his wife. "Maybe not for stealing your things. Maybe not for stealing personal belongings of our soldiers here. Maybe not even for what he had done before. But most certainly he deserved what he got and worse for something else."

"What?"

"You probably didn't notice because you were concentrating on your jewels, but I saw him reach his hand under your back hip fin and then again through the gill cover on your armor to…" he trailed. Ruto stalked away angrily after the two highlander warriors carrying Troas before Cyrus could even finish his sentence.

He couldn't see through the crowd, but he could hear Troas screaming with pain that he had never thought possible through his gag. In a moment he saw Ruto coming back with blood on the tips of her fins. "If any zora did what he did, he would have had his fins cut off, his head's fish tail removed, his feet cut off, and his gills sewn shut," she said.

"What did you do?" It was Cyrus's turn to worry about the thief incurring excess punishment.

 **"** **He'll live and the gerudo can still use him for whatever they like," was all she would answer to this question.**


	20. Chapter 20

Cyrus threw the magical hat on the pyre made for all of the traitorous highlanders. Those that were seen to betray all of the highland clans were granted no graceful burial. He brooded at the blaze for some minutes, feeling the heat wash over him in waves as did his sadness. The loss of so much life of his own kinsmen was something that was difficult for him to bear. Though the other highlanders did not express it, they felt the same as the lairds-heir.

"Only an evil man does not lament over the death of so many," Bruga said in comfort to his son. "You have heart," he added. Cyrus remained silent as he watched the flames consume the hat and send the ashes floating away. Even the smell of burning flesh and hair could not tear him away.

The lairds-heir cracked a wry and mirthless grin. "I can slaughter bokoblins, gerudos, and bandits all day and feel nothing," he said emotionlessly. "Why doesn't that make me feel this way?"

"Because they are vermin. These that are burning before you were men with souls," Bruga explained simply. Cyrus clamped his eyes shut when he felt tears welling up. Finally he was able to plod away from the pyre toward Salin and Ruto who were speaking with one another.

"...Don't understand _how_ you were able to convince the king to let you come back here!" Salin huffed irritably. "You should have stayed in the safety of Zora's Domain. I heard the guards say they stopped eight near-fatal attacks on you. Eight!"

Ruto appeared just as troubled as Cyrus over the loss of life here and her response was much colder than she wanted it to sound. "Any true monarch would stand by their people even in war!" she snapped. "I don't want to answer this question again! _By Nayru!_ " she added shrilly.

"Let's go back to camp, shall we? Searching the dead is someone else's job," Cyrus grunted as he passed the two zoras. Wordlessly they followed, Ruto falling in beside her husband. Seeing him so distraught served only to exacerbate her own feelings.

As they traveled, a courier ran up to Bruga. "Laird! Calhia and Hira are alive and well!" he piped. The laird simply nodded and dismissed the runner to send him about the rest of his duties. Most highlanders in the camp still wore their armor, a sign of their distrust toward the other clans that they carried, even after fighting alongside one another.

"Come back here! You're still not fully recovered!" a curmudgeonly voice called out. The small company saw Laird Callum approaching, walking with a limp and with several wounds still bound. Behind him was the apothecary, attempting to convince him to return to the infirmary.

"I see that you were successful, Prakau Bluescale," Callum lauded.

The zora gave a low bow of thanks. "The highlanders fought as any warring for their homeland should," he reported.

"They fought with honor, then," Callum stated. He then looked to Bruga. "I hear that your son is an excellent fighter," he congratulated. "I hear that he and this… lady," he added, unsure of what to call Ruto. "Defeated the leader of this rabble."

"It was Ruto that struck the blow that debilitated him. I only finished the cur," Cyrus retracted.

"You all deserve the highest honors I can bestow… Thanes of Galhedda," he said, drawing his sword and tapping Ruto, Cyrus, and Salin on the shoulders.

All three bowed in reverence before Laird Callum. Even when two clans were closely allied it was extremely rare for one clan to bestow such an honor on one from a different clan. "I thank you, laird," Ruto said graciously with the same graceful, fin-flared bow she had shown only a few times before. "But I must request honors upon Laird Bruga and those that guarded me on the way to hyrule. Without them I never would have made it back nor would I have been able to bring the other zoras here."

"I shall consider it, Lady…?" Callum trailed.

"Princess Ruto… of Gleight." She added the clan name because she felt it appropriate when addressing a trilby laird.

Laird Callum appeared puzzled. "How are you part of the dragon clan of the river if your kind doesn't even exist here?" he asked.

"By marriage," Cyrus explained directly. "To me."

The laird of Galhedda was stunned. "You say you are a princess?" he asked for confirmation from Ruto.

"Indeed I am," Ruto answered in a regal tone.

"Such joining of houses hasn't ever happened in the highlands before, to be sure," Callum mused. "We are honored to have you among us and to have had your aid in this fight nonetheless princess, thane, and laird's-heiress. I am sure the other clans hold your people in deep respect now, and by your union to Gleight as well," he said. In his weakened condition he lacked the strength to resist the apothecary pulling him back to the infirmary any longer and he left with a respectful bow.

"Great. Another title," Salin grumbled sarcastically once Laird Callum was out of hearing.

"Salin!" the princess rebuked. "You have been bestowed a great honor by someone that would be equivalent to the king of Hyrule, I presume. Show some gratitude!"

The prakau rolled his eyes. "Speaking of hyrule, who in the _sirchka_ is going to care if I'm thane of whatever?"

A strong hand grasped the zora's shoulder firmly enough to keep him from wrenching away. "Your princess is right. Some respect for what you have been given is in order," Bruga rumbled.

"Ouch! Okay, fine! Let go!" Salin protested. "You've been quiet," he added to Cyrus. "I woulda thought you'd be chastising me, too, the way you've been lately. Lost all your mercenary?"

"Hm?" Cyrus answered. "What did you say?" The lairds-heir's expression was still somber. He was still coming to terms with what had happened.

By now Calhia and Hira had located the group and joined them. Calhia embraced Bruga very tightly. "I haven't been around the real you for far too long, Brukie!" she squealed. The normally hard laird returned the gesture tenderly and accompanied it with a kiss.

"What do you mean 'the real me?'" the laird asked after a moment.

Calhia pulled away, a slight blush coming to her face. "Never mind…" she muttered.

Hira stood in cold silence as was typical for her. "Well done, Cyrus. Ruto," she eventually said quietly. To the lairds-heir's great surprise, he found himself wrapped in his sister's arms. He had forgotten the strength that she hid in her frame. "Thank you," she said with tears in her eyes. "The highlands would be smoke without you," she whispered. Ruto was flabbergasted as well to find the gesture being given to her.

Laird's-heiress Calhia stood before Salin with her typical serious poise. "And you as well, Prakau Bluescale," she added simply.

"It was my pleasure to skewer a few moblins for the clans," Salin answered with a smirk.

He was not as surprised when Hira embraced him as she had her brother and Ruto, but when she released him a hint of rose was beginning to show on her pale cheeks. "If you'll excuse me," she said before leaving them. Cyrus stared wide eyed after the retreating figure of his sister. "I think I saw a smile on her face," he said breathlessly.

A few days later they all found themselves in Gleight once again. The battlefield had long since been scavenged, honors were given, and the clans departed from one another more peacefully than they had in centuries. Wars were going to break out between the remaining clans some time in the future, Cyrus knew, but for now they were able to put their differences aside against a common enemy.

Cyrus lay in his bed for some time after he awoke. His father had granted the laird's-heir that he did not need to attend court unless he so desired these last few days, for which he was grateful. Even with this blessing, however, Cyrus had been given a very difficult choice: would he stay where he was among the highlanders, with those to whom he owed his rulership first, or would he travel back to Hyrule and Zora's Domain to be with his wife and those that he had recently become ruler over? The fact that the choice ultimately involved where Ruto would stay as well was even more troubling to him.

The lairds-heir tried to make a move to get out of bed, but this attempt was as futile as his last few. Each time he had tried to rise Ruto would squeeze her arm around him a little tighter and close any space that formed between them. "Stay awhile. We've been away from each other for too long," she whispered. Cyrus smiled and rolled over to face her. Cyrus stared into the depths of Ruto's midnight colored eyes. She smiled at him warmly and kissed his forehead.

"It's only been a few days. They're probably putting out breakfast right now, anyway," he said.

"A few days _is_ too long, and the breakfast can wait," the princess countered, gently stroking her husband's hair with her free arm.

"The food might, but father can't," Cyrus sighed. "I'm supposed to tell him my decision today."

"What will you tell him?"

Cyrus shook his head. "I don't know!" he groaned. "I feel torn in two. If I leave here I'll be turning my back on my family again, but if I stay I'll be turning my back on those that I have recently become a part of. I can't face two directions at once!"

Ruto paused for a moment. "I'll be happy to be with you no matter where you go," she said.

"You're just saying that," Cyrus grumbled. "I know that you'd probably want to stay at Zora's Domain. I've seen how you feel here."

Ruto pecked the lairds-heir on the lips. "I can change," she dismissed. "What will make you happier?"

"What will make me happier, what will make the people happier, what will make you happier, what will simply be the least dishonorable thing to do," Cyrus sighed in exasperation. "I don't know, Ruto!"

"Well, if you really can't decide, consider that you and I are the only heirs to the zoran crown. If we stay here, there will be no one to succeed my father, at least unless we have several children. By the same argument, if you leave here, your sister will remain to be lairdess over the Gleight clan," the princess considered.

"I knew you wanted to go back to Hyrule," the lairds-heir said.

"I was just thinking about this logically; it had nothing to do with what I want," Ruto dismissed.

"If you say so," Cyrus replied skeptically. He made another attempt to extricate himself from Ruto's embrace. He could have easily done so if he wanted to badly enough. "I'm… leaning towards staying here," he finally ventured.

The princess appeared disheartened by this decision. "Why?" was all she managed.

"I've lived here for more of my life and the zoras don't seem to like the idea of me as their prince."

"I said I would be happy whatever your choice was, dearest, no matter what it was. So shall it be with this," Ruto stated submissively.

"That doesn't help," came the flat reply. "I can tell in your voice that you don't want to stay here."

The pair started when a knock came at the door. Without waiting for a response, the door creaked open, revealing Bruga, Hira, and Calhia. "Are you alright?" Lairdess Calhia asked. "You never came down to breakfast."

"I'm fine, mother," Cyrus said. He was thankful Salin wasn't here. Undoubtedly he would have made a snide comment about how Ruto wouldn't let him out of the bed.

"Still can't decide whether you're staying here or not?" Hira asked bluntly. Cyrus smiled in spite of himself. Hira was just as direct now as she had been in his childhood. Calhia reprimanded her daughter while Cyrus reluctantly pried loose from Ruto's embrace and stood up, unclothed save his trousers. The princess arose as well and began to put on her many jewels.

"There is still some breakfast left in the dining room for you," Calhia said after clearing her throat. "Come, Hira. Give Cyrus some privacy as he dresses, won't you?" she asked as she departed with Hira close behind, leaving Bruga, Cyrus, and Ruto alone.

Once Cyrus and Ruto had prepared themselves, they left their room to find Calhia and Hira waiting patiently outside the door. Conversation was light at breakfast. Everyone could feel Cyrus's internal conflict and it cast a pall on all of those present. When finished, the lairds-heir rose and left his dishes for the servants to take care of them, a practice he was still unused to after having lived a mercenary's life for so long that forced him to clean up after himself.

Cyrus was able to rise from his roiling emotions long enough to realize that there were many fewer people in the castle than usual. "Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Outside," Hira explained simply. Cyrus cast a questioning look at the others. Ruto declined any knowledge of the situation while the lairds-heir's family made no explanation. Still considering what this might mean, Cyrus opened the great keep doors. They groaned loudly on their hinges as the rays of the morning sun burst forth into the keep, momentarily blinding the lairds-heir.

As soon as Cyrus could be seen through the doors, a fanfare rang out from the scene before him. The Gleight clan's army stood in array to his left, clad in their finest ceremonial armors. Narhhas stood at their head; while he wasn't a high ranking officer, he was given this honorary position because of his role in ousting the changelings in Gleight. The sea of orange hair gave an intimidating, burning appearance to the army. The fanfare he heard coming from these soldiers originated from brightly polished and shining bugles. The banners of Gleight, bearing the sigil of the dragon began to wave then the clarion call fell silent. The highlanders then drew their weapons in unison, making a strange metallic tearing sound. They each lifted their armaments to the sky and as one shouted the name " _Eulia!_ " Unlike on the battlefield, this was not the challenging warcry, but rather a call of triumph to their goddess as the one who had saved them.

While the highlander warriors all replaced with an odd shimmer sound their weapons the zoran army, standing to the right, all blew their own fanfare in horns made from shells. The sound was not clear, sharp and piercing as the highlander bugles were, but rather it was an alto resonating sound that gave an optimistic feeling. The zoras began to lift off their heels slightly in a pattern. As the sun shone off their scales, the movement was made to appear like great waves on an ocean and a faint rumble was heard as their heels hit the ground as they rose and fell. The many banners of the zoras fluttered along with the army. Salin stood at the head of the zoras, as Cyrus expected.

Both Ruto and Cyrus were stunned at this show before them. The majesty and honor that was displayed sent their hearts soaring. Never before in either of their lives had they been reverenced with such a display. The princess assumed a regal posture of her people; standing erect with her legs close together, her hands behind her back and fins flared. Cyrus stood stoically, as he had been taught, with his feet shoulder length apart and his arms to his sides and hands clenched into fists.

The zoras then fell silent, and a small group in the center began to stir. Among these stood Ruto and Cyrus's personal guards along with Arah and the other highlanders that had escorted the princess back to Zora's Domain. Both gerudos, Saru and Tila were in this group as well, Tila now fully recovered-true to the druid's blessing. Cyrus was amazed to see that they were wearing what appeared to be gerudo ceremonial armor which he assumed they would never be able to get due to their exile from their people. They wore shining steel bracers and a breastplate that covered their breasts and much of their torso, but their midriffs were still exposed. Purple skirts with gold trim hung from their waists with slits running to the mid thigh on the right side. A scarf of the same color and material was wrapped around their heads to cover their hair and then rested upon their shoulders.

This group then sounded their own fanfare, a blend of the highlander and zoran instruments. The banner was Cyrus and Ruto's, the dragon of Gleight curled around the Zora's Sapphire. Once their fanfare was over, this group then made declarations of fealty in both the highlander and zoran languages. Cyrus was surprised at the zoras' accurate pronunciation of certain trilby words.

As soon as they had concluded, all of the armies and guards stood at attention. Cyrus turned to his family. "Did you arrange this?" he asked them.

Lairdess Calhia smiled warmly at her son. "We did. We wanted to show you both just how proud we were of you, not only for your marriage but also for your hand in saving the highlands."

The laird's-heir was touched by the display. "We thank you, but if anyone truly deserved this, it was Ruto and Laird Callum of Galhedda," he retracted modestly.

"Not so, brother," Hira interjected. "You did well ruling in father's stead when you needed to and you were key in driving the changelings from among our clan. You deserve this," she insisted.

 _Ruling in father's stead_ , the thought sent a shiver down the lairds-heir's spine. Those four words did little other than remind him of the decision he still had to make and was already expected to have made. The laird's-heiress noticed her brother's agitation and asked him what was bothering him. Though Hira always seemed hard on the exterior, Cyrus had found that he could confide in her things that he couldn't say to his parents.

"I… I'm still not sure where I should go," he admitted. "My first loyalty is with the highlanders, but I also have a ruling stake in Zora's Domain. This land is my first home, but I can't ask Ruto to leave her only home while I have lived both here and in Hyrule. I know the zoras aren't very accepting of my rulership, but as of right now Ruto and I are the only heirs to the zoran throne. I just feel torn in half."

"You have joined houses, you realize," Hira said. "Nobody said you had to _stay_ here or in Hyrule, either, Cyrus. The throne is secured here, so I imagine you're more needed across the desert, whether the zoras realize it or not. Even so, you can come back here once in awhile; the weight of Gleight is still on your shoulders as well as that of the zoras. Go with your wife, but return to us often."

The lairds-heiress's suggestion made Cyrus take heart. It made the decision easier on his soul with the realization that he did not have to turn his back on Zoras nor highlanders. He then looked at Ruto. "The trek across the desert won't be an easy one to make very often," he said wistfully.

"But it can be done," Ruto added, kissing Cyrus. "I would be willing to travel across the desert every so often for you to fulfill your obligations."

"Thank you, Ruto," Cyrus said.

"But that still leaves the question: are you staying here in Gleight, or do you return to Hyrule?" Bruga asked. He had been listening to the whole of the conversation.

Cyrus paused for a moment, finalizing the decision and weighing it in his mind. "I go to Hyrule," he declared loud enough for all gathered to hear.

Lairdess Calhia suddenly wrapped her son in her arms. "We will miss you sorely… are you sure that is your decision?" she asked hopefully.

"It is mother," Cyrus said, returning the gesture. He found that the rest of his family was embracing him as well.

"I will miss you, brother," Hira muttered into Cyrus's ear.

"We all will," Bruga added. "It seems that you have come here so soon only to leave again."

"Though I won't be completely gone from you," the laird-heir assured. "I will write every so often, and I will come here in person occasionally as is required of my station as lairds-heir."

During all of this, the laird's family had not noticed Arah, Tilia, and Saru approach. Arah was the first to speak among them. "It was wonderful to see you again after all these years, Cyrus. Must you leave so soon?" she asked with a tear escaping her eye.

"Of course, my friend," Cyrus said. "We still haven't caught up with one another. I most certainly will return to Gleight again sometime."

As Arah and Cyrus were speaking with one another, Ruto addressed the gerudos. "You've recovered very well, Tilia," the princess observed.

"Thanks to the goddess Eulia and Saru, it seems," the gerudo replied. "She's a good deity to have favor with."

"She is," Ruto confirmed, remembering her own experiences of having to call upon the goddess. "What will the both of you do now?" the princess asked after a pause.

The gerudos looked at each other before Saru answered "We… haven't thought of that."

"We don't really _have_ anywhere to go," Tila lamented. "The other gerudos will kill us if we return to them, even after what we did I'm sure the highlanders' prejudices of us will return, none of the tribes in Hyrule will be accepting of us, I fear," she continued. "There is no place for us," she decided.

Ruto thought for a moment before speaking again. "You could return with us to Zora's Domain. It may be more… humid than you're used to there but after the service you have rendered here, I'm certain that my people will be accepting of you," she offered.

"Truly?" the gerudos asked in unison.

 **"** **We would be honored to have heroines such as yourselves in our homeland," Ruto said. She could see Cyrus throw a disapproving look in her direction, but she knew that he could find it within himself to accept these two among the zoras.**


End file.
